Desperate Times
by 5ongeur
Summary: A new year brings new dangers and new decisions. Can people really change or is it all just an act? Old alliances will be tested and new alliances will be formed as the battle between Light and Dark draws near. Set after OOTP A Draco/Ginny Blaise/Luna fic
1. Chapter 1

**Desperate Times**

**Summary:** A new year brings new dangers and new decisions for everyone. Can people really change, or is it all just an act? Old alliances will be tested and new alliances will be formed as the battle between Light and Dark draws near. Can Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood melt the ice around the hearts of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini or will they learn that a Slytherin is never to be trusted? Rated M for later chapters. A Draco/ Ginny and Blaise/ Luna fic.

**Author's Note:** This is my first fanfic so all comments are welcomed and appreciated! The story take place after _Order of the Phoenix_ so the events of _HBP_ and _Deathly Hallows_ should be disregarded.

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns all things _Harry Potter_.

**Chapter 1: The End of Summer Is Near**

Ginny stared out the window of her room in the Burrow, watching her family set up outside. It was the day of the annual Weasley picnic and soon her closest friends and family would descend on the Burrow for a night of food, drinks, and fun. The event marked the end of the summer and the beginning of the new Hogwarts term. In the past it had been one of Ginny's favorite moments of the summer, but this year everything had changed. The constant threat of Death Eater attacks called for increased security and every once in a while Ginny could spot the movement of one of the dozen or so aurors sent to protect the Weasley family moving in the distance. It was like living in a fishbowl, but that was the price the family had to pay for having Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, stay with them over the summer.

Harry. He had never been the same since the battle in the Ministry of Magic and Sirius' death. Dumbledore had allowed him to stay at the Burrow most of the summer, wanting to be surrounded by those who loved him. For the first few weeks he was mostly silent, his face slightly pale, but midway through summer he had acquired an air of determination in his eyes. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had spent most of their time in Harry and Ron's room making plans and doing research on a variety of dark arts issues and Ginny was left to fend for herself. The camaraderie of Dumbledore's Army had already been forgotten and Ginny was once again left outside of the Golden Trio.

With her father busy at the Ministry, her mother getting more involved in her work with the Order, and no one else in the house, Ginny found herself alone most of the time. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing; it gave Ginny time to think and become more independent. A lot had changed over the summer and Ginny wasn't how to handle it all.

The experiences of the past year had left her scarred, but she wasn't sure who to talk to or what to do about it. It seemed like everyone had glossed over her, more concerned with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and, if she was being honest, she resented the three of them for it. After breaking her ankle in the battle, she had spent a few weeks in the hospital wing, replaying the events in her mind. She still had nightmares of that Death Eater reaching towards her, the fear and desperation she felt vivid and clear. The experience had definitely hardened her, but also made her even more determined to be able to defend herself.

Despite all of the training that Dumbledore's Army had provided her, she knew that she had been horribly underprepared to combat the Death Eaters she had encountered in the Ministry. It was shear luck that had saved them and, looking back, she was surprised that Sirius had been the only casualty. Now, she felt exposed and unable to defend herself so she had taken to reading every book on defense against the dark arts she could find, often resorting to practicing her spells late at night to avoid alarming her family. She also brushed up on her potions, transfiguration, and charms work to the point that she probably could have skipped fifth year entirely and just taken her O.W.L.S.

Physically, Ginny had completely transformed as well. She had spent most of the summer in the garden or the old tree house so her skin was tan from sun exposure and her shoulders and back were speckled with freckles. Her ginger hair had been highlighted from the sun and was often left to flow freely down her back. Ginny had also taken gotten into the habit of going on a run every morning. It not only gave her a chance to escape the sometimes claustrophobic nature of the Burrow, but also to think through some of her emotions. She had always been strong from Quiddich, but the combination of the extra exercise with her turning fifteen a week or so ago had turned Ginny from the littlest Weasley into a budding woman in her own right. Even Ron had commented on her physical transformation and he wasn't known for being the most observant.

In all, by the end of summer there was little resemblance to the Ginny Weasley who had been so badly shaken by her brush with Death Eaters. She was more mature, both physically and emotionally, but she also felt more isolated. The people who she thought were her friends had all but abandoned her over the summer. The wall that had come down over the past year between her and the Golden Trio through the their determination to fight against Umbridge was now firmly back in place.

Even her other friends had kept their distance. The only person Ginny had kept in contact with over the summer was Luna Lovegood. Luna had been a lifesaver, both literally and figuratively. She never brushed Ginny off, never ignored her. Although they hadn't seen much of each other over the summer, through owls the two girls became quite close. She was coming to the party tonight and Ginny was sure their bond would become even closer once they were back at Hogwarts.

Ginny jumped at the door to her room opened, bringing her back into the present. Hermione's head peaked through the opening as Ginny turned her head away from the scene outside to look at her.

"Gin! You're not even dressed yet and people are already starting to arrive! Hurry up!"

Hermione didn't even wait for Ginny to respond before closing the door. Ginny could hear her footsteps on the stairs as she went down to join the party. Ginny sighed, knowing that the night might end up being pretty draining for her as she crossed her small room and opened up the wardrobe. She pulled a black tank top and jean shorts out of the wardrobe and quickly changed, pulling on her trainers as she thought about how people still expected her to be the little girl who followed Harry Potter and was constantly in the shadow of the Golden Trio, but Ginny was no longer that girl and she was determined to prove it this year.

By the time Ginny made it downstairs, the Burrow was buzzing with activity. She was immediately engulfed in hugs by her extended family and for the first time this summer she felt like she was a part of something. Still, there was a tension in the air that she had never felt before. Her mother and father looked tired and the absence of Percy was weighing heavily on everyone's minds, although none of them were willing to admit it. There were cracks appearing in the usually tightknit Weasley clan and Ginny wasn't sure if she and her newfound independence was a part of the problem. All she knew was that the constant threat of danger that surrounded them was taking its toll on everyone. Hopefully tonight would let them forget about it, if only for a few hours.

After shaking herself free from her family, she scanned the room for Luna, spotting her sitting in a corner of the Weasley's living room, slightly removed from the socialization. She was wearing a lilac jumper and gold tights with her necklace of butterbeer corks and green-rimmed glasses. On anyone else this outfit would have looked ridiculous, but on Luna it looked magnificent.

Luna smiled as she saw Ginny approaching, happy to finally see her friend after a long summer apart. She knew that Ginny was having a rough time dealing with the events that occurred at the end of last year, but Luna wasn't completely sure what to do to make her feel better. The Ravenclaw girl had her own issues that stemmed from that fateful night and Ginny was the only person she felt comfortable talking to about it.

Dumbledore's Army had been one of the best things that ever happened to her. She finally felt like she was a part of something at Hogwarts and she was actually respected by the group for her defensive skills. Luna always knew that, if the time came, she would fight on the side of the Light. The battle had been exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. It had all seemed unreal until she saw that Death Eater attack Ginny; then the world stopped. The struggles between good and bad within the Wizarding World suddenly felt all too real to her and the entire experience changed her profoundly.

Most people dismissed her as quirky and weird, but Luna saw herself as more realistic and loyal than most of her classmates. Luna tried to not to let the things people say about her affect her, but she wasn't oblivious to the things people said about her both to her face and behind her back. She may have different interests than the average teenage girl, but she still has feelings. She hoped that the new year at Hogwarts would bring more opportunities to make friends and less brushes with the darker aspects of the Wizarding World, but somehow she didn't quite believe that her wishes would come true.

The summer had been lonely for Luna as well, even though her father had allowed her to become more involved with the Quibbler. The battle left her more in tune with the evils that existed within her world, but she was determined not to let the fear overtake her. After all, she wasn't just sorted into Ravenclaw for her intelligence. She had spent the summer travelling in Europe with her father, looking for a variety of rare and interesting creatures, but also becoming more exposed to outside cultures. The result was a still quirky, but more sophisticated Luna who carried herself with a newfound confidence.

As Ginny approached, Luna stood and the girls quickly embraced before falling back onto the armchair, catching up on the past few weeks. Luna smiled, spotting the silver moon pendant that hung around Ginny's neck,

"I see you got your birthday present. I hope you like it. It'll protect you from the moon frogs that like to lurk in those woods you are so fond of running through."

She was glad that Ginny had taken her gift seriously, even though she knew Ginny didn't believe some of her beliefs. One could never be too careful, that's what her father said. She had initially considered giving Ginny a string of butterbeer corks like she wore, but the practicality of the moon pendant ultimately won out. Seeing it on Ginny confirmed that it was the right choice to make. It looked beautiful on her friend.

Ginny and Luna were reduced to a fit of giggles; the first real laugh Ginny had had in a while. It felt so natural to be around Luna; there was no need for pretenses around her.

"Then you should be glad to know I never take it off. Are you excited about going back to Hogwarts?"

Luna nodded, but her smile weakened slightly. Ginny knew that Luna sometimes found it difficult at school. The other students didn't understand her and sometimes this manifested itself in taunts and bullying. She often said that she "misplaced" things, but Ginny knew that this was just an excuse for the fact that some of her classmates loved to hide her belongings. Just thinking about it made Ginny's blood boil, but every time Ginny brought up the subject Luna didn't want to talk about it. Luna hid it well behind her quirks, but every teenage girl needs friends. That's one of the reasons she and Ginny became so close. Both of them didn't quite fit in with the rest of their classmates.

"This year should be interesting. Daddy says there has been an uptick in sightings of blibbering humdingers, which he says is an indication that dark magic is being practiced. How have you been holding up?"

That's what Ginny loved about Luna. Most people thought that all of her talk about strange creatures was due to her quirky nature, but Ginny knew better. It was just Luna's unique was of expressing herself. She wasn't ignorant of the grave events occurring in the wizarding world at the moment; in fact, she was probably more tuned in than most of the Hogwarts students.

Before Ginny could respond, Molly Weasley called everyone to dinner and the group moved to the backyard. The long table was covered in a mishmash of plates, silverware, and floral bouquets and a field of candles had been magically suspended above, illuminating the area in a warm, luminous light. Everyone commented on how magical the evening seemed, but Ginny shivered at the sight the shadowy figures of the aurors that lurked at the boundaries of the candlelight.

Ginny took her place between Luna and George and directly across from Harry, who was sitting between Ron and Hermione. The arrangement halted the conversation between Luna and Ginny as they both silently acknowledged that they would continue their conversation at a later, more private time. Now, there was nothing they could do but make it through the dinner, acting as if nothing had changed since school ended.

Although the Trio seemed oblivious to it, both Ginny and Luna inherently knew that this dinner was much different than last years. Neither girl could just forget their experience with the darker side of the Wizarding World. Honestly, Ginny now felt like she understood Harry's mindset for the first time. She wasn't sure if she could have handled the feelings she was having now when she was any younger.

The conversation quickly shifted to the impending school term. Hermione, excited about the prospect of new learning opportunities, speculated on the appointment of yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

"I mean, who would even want the job at this point? Honestly, the job seems like it's more trouble than it's worth."

Ron shook his head in agreement, "I know. No wonder they can never get any good candidates."

Harry slapped his arm, looking pointedly at Remus Lupin who was sitting two chairs down from him, speaking to Arthur Weasley. Ron blushed slightly and said,

"Oops, I forgot about Remus, but still. Any guesses on who the new professor might be?"

"Hopefully the ministry isn't involved in the selection this time. We all know how well that went over last time," Hermione retorted as a shiver made its way through the entire group as they remembered their previous year under Umbridge.

"Well, I can't imagine it would get worse than that." Ron muttered.

"I wouldn't be so sure Ron," Ginny interjected, "Voldemort always finds a way to infiltrate Hogwarts."

An uneasy silence settled over the group and Ginny wished she hadn't spoken up, but her brother's internal optimism was grating on her. Luna, sensing the tension, tried to think of a subject that would move the conversation into a lighter subject. She considered brining up the new issue of the Quibbler, but she doubted anyone aside from Ginny had read it so instead she brought up the upcoming Quiddich season,

"Well, I know that Gryffindor always has a pretty good team, but I think Ravenclaw could be pretty good this year too."

Her plan worked as Harry and Ron began discussing Quiddich strategy, frequently asking Ginny's opinion with Hermione and Luna interjecting once and a while. The evening passed mercifully fast for Ginny, although she and Luna never got a chance to speak privately again. As they said goodbye, Ginny assured Luna she would owl her before the train ride to Hogwarts. Lying in their beds at night, both Ginny and Luna truly hoped that the upcoming year would be different.

Across England, Draco Malfoy was also lying in bed, contemplating the state of his life and the upcoming school term. The events of the previous year had left him shaken and he wasn't sure the feeling would go away anytime soon. In the beginning, the idea of the Inquisitorial Squad had excited him, finally allowing him to get involved in the activities his father had always been hinting at. The power of the position thrilled him and he reveled in the opportunity to utilize it over Potter and the Gryffindors.

Things turned sour fast though and the image of Dolores Umbridge threatening to use the Cruciatus Curse on Potter still haunted him. Draco was all too familiar with the effects of being Crucioed; his father had first used the spell on him in second year after he was ranked below Granger in every subject. As Draco screamed in pain, Lucius informed Draco coolly that Malfoys do not come in second to mudbloods. The fact that Draco was constantly ranked below her led to numerous sessions that always ended with Draco crumpled in a heap on the floor, his voice hoarse from screaming and his body physically exhausted from the pain.

When Draco heard that he had been captured in the Ministry of Magic, Draco was torn. He loved his father and hated Potter even more, but maybe the summer wouldn't be so bad. It was not to be, however, and not even two weeks later his father was free. The power and influence of the Malfoys was in effect once again. The first night back in the Malfoy Manor, Lucius had subjected Draco to a long torture session, constantly berating him for letting Potter and his friends escape and blaming Draco for him getting sent to Azkaban. The evening left Draco broken physically and psychologically, but his father refused to allow him to go to St. Mungo's. Instead, Draco was holed up in his room for the first two weeks of summer, attended to by a private healer.

Even after he was fully healed, Draco was not the same. The society events that used to thrill him with their displays of wealth and power now left a bad taste in his mouth. He used to enjoy the reactions people had when they learned he was the Malfoy heir, but all he wanted now was to be left alone. It took all of his will power not to snap at Pansy every time she fawned over him. Even the presence of Crabbe and Goyle drove him crazy, even though they were more like robots than actual people.

The only person he had any patience for was his best friend, Blaise Zabini, but even he had abandoned him. Blaise's mother had gotten married to husband number six over the summer so she shipped Blaise to France for the summer in order to spend some "quality time" alone with her new husband. They had owled, but it wasn't the same. If Malfoys were emotional, he might admit that he missed Blaise's company a little.

Usually Draco spent summer surrounded by the same people he spent time with at school, but this summer was different. The beauty of the Malfoy Manor was its grounds. Acres upon acres of rolling landscape open for Draco to explore. He spent most of the day outside, either on his broom or just exploring the landscape. The silence was profound; he realized that, there were few times in his life when he was truly alone. He was always surrounded by people watching his every move, making sure he lived up to the expectations of being the Malfoy heir. Of course, there were the daily evening engagements that his parents required he attend, but the glorious summer days almost made up for them.

The benefits of Draco's new routine were twofold. Physically, the time outdoors had removed the pale, sickly quality to his skin. He was by no means tan, but he no longer looked pasty. The physical nature of his days allowed him to bulk up slightly, although he maintained his slim figure. He was still a little vain, but he no longer insisted on keeping his hair slicked back. Instead, he allowed it to grow a little longer, giving him a less uptight appearance. The change manifested itself in the way he dressed as well. No longer so buttoned up, Draco's clothing became more suited to a teenage boy and less so a thirty year old man like it had previously. Now, he was more likely to be found in a Quiddich kit or merely a pair of black trousers and a t-shirt.

Emotionally, Draco was more withdrawn than ever before. He still firmly held his position as the Slytherin Prince, but anyone who looked more closely would see that he wielded his power more through previous reputation than current actions. He was still as callous and biting as ever, but he no longer felt the need to spend all of his energy plotting against others. To be honest, most people just weren't worth his time. He had bigger issues to deal with.

The clock struck one in the morning and Draco was making no progress towards falling asleep so he got up, put on his cloak, grabbed his broom, and exited through his bedroom window into the cool evening air. The rush of flying helped him think, but even the thrill of flying could not remove the uneasiness he felt.

That evening, his father called him into his study and told him that he would be attending a Death Eater meeting with him the next evening. It took all of the training and the strength Draco had to keep his face neutral. He wasn't sure how he felt about the whole ordeal. He definitely didn't like mudbloods and believed in blood purity, but he wasn't sure if he was willing to go to Azkaban for life just because of it. Not that he had a choice in the matter. He was attending the meeting whether he liked it or not. Draco suddenly felt very tired; all he wanted was the ability to make his own choices.

Arriving back at his window, he dragged dropped his cloak and broom and dragged himself into his bed, weighed down by the responsibility and knowledge he held. He slept restlessly, constantly twisting and turning, unable to relax despite how tired he felt.

By the time the house elf came to wake him for breakfast, Draco had given up trying to get a good night's sleep. Throwing on a robe, he padded down to breakfast, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Thankfully, his father was nowhere to be seen, probably already at a business meeting. This meant that Draco wouldn't see his father until this evening, a merciful reprieve from his watchful eye, condescending comments, and physical abuse.

His mother, Narcissa, was already seated, completely put together wearing a cream dressing gown, her hair perfectly coifed and her face perfectly made up, despite the early hour. She looked up as her son entered the room; a slight smile graced her face as she rose to greet her son with a kiss on the cheek before sitting down again.

"Draco, you really need to get more sleep. You're looking absolutely dreadful and we're going to the Greengrass' for dinner tonight and you can't go looking like that," she said, staring inquisitively at her only child.

Draco began to dig into the plate of food before him, not wanting his mother to begin questioning him about the events going on in his life. He loved his mother, but he also knew she was aware of the events that landed him incapacitated earlier in the summer. He also suspected that his father had done the same thing to her throughout their years of marriage, but the feeling of betrayal hadn't left him. Malfoys didn't share their feelings and he wasn't about to tell his mother that he was afraid to see the Dark Lord that evening. He had to stop his mother before this turned into a full-fledged inquisition.

"Nothing to worry about, Mother. I've just been doing some extra flying to prepare for Quiddich this year. I can't let those Potter think that they are getting better than me," he replied, his eyes noticeably hardening at the mention of his enemy.

His mother seemed to accept his explanation and turned back to the mail that had just arrived by owl. She sifted through the stack, probably full of invitations to various social events and correspondence between her and her various girlfriends, picking out a small cream envelope and handing it to her son. Draco could tell from the elegant cursive script that it was from Blaise. He noted that the return address was near London, odd since Blaise wasn't due back for another week. He quickly tore open the envelope and quickly skimmed the letter inside:

Draco,

It seems like Mother finally decided to allow me back into the country. We need to talk.

Blaise

The letter was stereotypical Blaise, short and to the point. Still, Draco was glad his friend was back in the country. He was the only person among his group of friends who Draco respected and he had been greatly missed over the summer. Not that he would ever admit that to Blaise; they were still Slytherins after all.

The day passed quickly and soon Draco found himself standing in front of the mirror in his room, impeccably dressed in black and silver trimmed dress robes. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Draco's mind drifted back over his years at Hogwarts, the power of being the Slytherin Prince, the rush of Quiddich, the embarrassment he felt always coming in second to Granger, the chaos of the night of the battle in the Ministry. Was it all worth it?

Draco pulled his gaze away from the mirror and to go meet his parents in the entry hall of the manor. When he arrived, only his father was there. Lucius Malfoy's hard stare centered on his son as Draco felt a shiver run down his spine. Lucius approached Draco, lowering his voice as he said,

"Tonight you will have the honor of being in the presence of the Dark Lord. I trust that you will not disappoint me son."

Draco was saved from having to respond by his mother's grand entrance. Narcissa Malfoy always had to make a scene and wasn't satisfied until her husband and son had adequately complemented her on her dress and jewels. By the time that ritual was done, it was time to floo to the Greengrass'. As soon as Draco stepped through the fireplace, he had to smile. Standing in front of the fireplace, was Blaise Zabini smirking at him.

Blaise Zabini had had a rough summer by all accounts. One week before school ended, his mother owled him announcing her sixth marriage the following week. Blaise wasn't surprised that the wizard in question was rich or that he had never met the man. Blaise was swiftly shipped off to the family chateau outside of Paris after the wedding, a property acquired through husband number two, Blaise's father. Although Blaise loved the French lifestyle and was a relatively introverted person, living in the large house alone except for the house elves got to him after a while.

While there, Blaise had immersed himself in one of his favorite subjects, Defense Against the Dark Arts. The irony did not escape him, but the ability to defend himself was useful due to the large amount of enemies Slytherins had. His proudest accomplishment was the mastery of wandless magic, which he was sure would come in handy during these increasingly dangerous times.

Blaise did not consider himself to be the stereotypical Slytherin. The ostentatious displays of wealth and power most of the Slytherin families felt compelled to demonstrate on a daily basis made Blaise gag. He considered himself much more low key. Yes he had money and social status, but he didn't have to put it on display for everyone to see. Although he was a part of the Slytherin elite, he preferred to stay on the periphery instead of getting involved in the petty bickering and jockeying for position.

He was by no means a saint, but he felt that there was more to being a Slytherin than worshiping the Dark Lord. To Blaise, being a Slytherin was more so about being ambitious and acting in one's best interest than bowing down to the whims of a Dark Lord. The Zabini's had been Slytherins long before Voldemort was and Blaise wasn't sure if his involvement with the house was such a good thing. His family was less involved with the Death Eaters than most of his classmates due to the fact that his mother was a black widow, more concerned with knocking off her wealthy husbands than terrorizing the Wizarding World. This let Blaise see the problems the Dark Lord caused in their families. It was especially clear with the Malfoys.

Draco and Blaise had grown up together, but had never been particularly close until one night, in third year, Blaise found Draco broken and bleeding on the floor of the third year boys dormitory, the effect of one of Lucius' torture sessions. That night, Blaise had seen another side of Draco and determined he wasn't the brainwashed society prince thought he was. Over the next year, Blaise and Draco had slowly opened up to one another. Slytherins do not trust easily so it had taken a while for their friendship to develop, but now Blaise considered Draco his closest friend.

Still, there were things Blaise knew he couldn't tell his best friend. Draco was much more involved in the doings of the Dark Lord on account of his father's involvement with the Death Eaters. Blaise never brought up his thoughts on the Dark Lord with him. He knew Draco wasn't as indoctrinated with the lifestyle as he let on, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous to reveal his true feelings about the dark arts. Sometimes this frustrated Blaise; no matter what, as a Slytherin, he always had to hide his true feelings or risk having them used against him.

Blaise knew that the past year had been trying for Draco; it had been trying for him too. The collision between the light and the dark became more and more imminent and Blaise began to doubt that he would be able to remain neutral once the conflict broke out. He had avoided becoming involved with the Inquisitorial Squad and the subsequent battle in the Ministry, but his fellow Slytherins were beginning to question his allegiances, despite his friendship with Draco. He knew that he would have to prove himself somehow this year.

To be honest, Blaise was slightly shocked when he saw Draco emerge from the floo. He had expected some change in his friend, but this was more drastic than he thought. Draco was obviously troubled by something and Blaise could see the need to talk burning in his eyes. The two boys approached each other and shook hands, the epitome of good breeding and manners.

"God Malfoy, you really let yourself go while I was gone," Blaise drawled, acutely aware of the people around them, probably eavesdropping on their conversation. The more honest observations would have to wait until they were sure they were alone. Unfortunately, this type of frankness would probably have to wait until they returned to Hogwarts and something about Draco's demeanor made Blaise think that whatever was bothering his friend could not wait until then. Draco's mouth twisted into his trademark smirk as he replied,

"Why Zabini, I wasn't aware you were so concerned with my well being. If I didn't know you better, I would think you were starting to fancy me."

Blaise narrowed his eyes and sent a well-placed punch into Draco's stomach. Draco had anticipated the physical attack, but it still took quite a bit of self-control to conceal the pain he felt. Blaise ignored Draco's reaction, instead turning to Draco's parents to pay his respects.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, it's lovely to see you again."

Lucius shook his hand firmly before disappearing into the crowd of people. Narcissa gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before saying,

"Blaise, darling, we've missed you this summer. Is your mother here?"

Blaise pointed Narcissa Malfoy in the direction of his mother and her new husband who were holding court in the sitting room. Narcissa quickly departed, eager to infiltrate the full on gossip sessions that were occurring around the room. The empty chateau he just left seemed more and more appealing to him all the time.

Draco knew if he wanted to talk to Blaise privately tonight it would have to be soon. Now that his parents were making their rounds around the room his so called friends would descend upon him to pay their respects. The boys' eyes met and they inconspicuously moved towards the side of the room before slipping through the door and into the empty hallway. They slipped into an empty room and waited a moment to ensure that they weren't being followed. Blaise magically locked the door while Draco put a silencing charm on the room. Only then could they speak freely. Draco got right to the point.

"Father wants me to attend a Death Eater meeting tonight."

Blaise was glad his back was still turned towards the door and away from Draco because even he, the Slytherin, needed a split second to compose his face. What was Draco saying? Blaise knew that his friend wasn't as brainwashed as the rest of their group, but he had never outright said that he did not want to follow Lucius' path. Was this a test? Blaise's Slytherin self-preservation instinct was surfacing. He turned to look at Draco his faced a perfectly composed mask, but it softened when he saw the fear in Draco's eyes.

"What are you going to do?" Blaise asked, the normally self-assured boy suddenly unsure of the correct course of action to take.

"What choice do I have? I have to go." Draco replied, confused by Blaise's reaction.

Although they didn't talk about it he thought Blaise was less inclined towards the Death Eater lifestyle than the rest of their friends. Now he wondered if he had made a mistake in talking to Blaise about it. There was a reason Slytherins did not share their true feelings; it tended to be dangerous. Draco went into damage control.

"Of course it's an honor to go. Most don't get chosen until after their sixth year," he continued, showing no emotions.

Draco was good at hiding his emotions, but Blaise was his best friend. He could see through Draco's bullshit and now it was obvious to him that Draco was hiding his true thoughts on the subject. Blaise took a chance and responded,

"Just keep your head down and stay quiet. They probably won't expect anything of you your first time."

Draco let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. His suspicions about Blaise were correct. He was on his side.

"Let's hope so," he replied.

The two boys stared at one another for a moment before hearing noises in the hallway that indicated their moment of privacy was stretching on too long. Draco the charms on the room while Blaise unlocked the room and peered into the hallway, checking to make sure the path was clear. The two boys slipped back into the party unnoticed and joined their friends, but neither boy was truly there. Draco was thinking about what was to come and Blaise was wondering just how different Draco's stance on the matter was from his father. Maybe it was time to come clean to Draco about his real ideas.

The rest of the evening passed just like it always did. The conversation was bland, the food unmemorable, but Draco still wished it would drag on longer because what would happen after was even worse. Draco and Blaise said their goodbyes quickly. Both boys unsure of what to say that would acknowledge the gravity of the situation in a publically appropriate way.

When the Malfoy's returned home, Lucius immediately summoned Draco into his study. His mother wouldn't even look at him as she went to her room and at that moment Draco hated her. She knew what was going on, but was too cowardly to even acknowledge him. As soon as Draco entered his father's study, the door shut and locked behind him. His father held out a black robe and mask, the same style that he had seen his father wear countless times before going on raids. Draco quickly put on the outfit, trying to suppress the mixture of emotions swirling around in his stomach. He took hold of his father's arm and felt the tug of the apparation before darkness encompassed him.

They landed in a dark forest, a place Draco was unfamiliar with. All around them were Death Eaters wearing the same long dark robes. Draco could identify a few of his father's friends, but most of them were just anonymous faces in the crowd. There was a sort of tension in the air and Draco was afraid that everyone else could feel the fear radiating off of him. His father leaned closer to him, whispering,

"Just stay silent boy, you're only here to watch tonight."

Draco was relieved. The rest of the evening passed by in a blur. The Dark Lord did not make an appearance so very little actually was accomplished. The failure of the raid on the Ministry of Magic meant that the Death Eaters were lying low, trying to decide what their next move would be. Still, by the end of the night Draco was exhausted. By the time he and his father apparated back to the Manor, Draco was about to collapse. Before he could retreat to his room, however, his father turned to him and said,

"You did well tonight Draco. Maybe now you are starting to finally live up to the Malfoy name."

When Draco finally made it to bed, he wasn't sure what to think. The physical and emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of his fathers over the past few years was not forgotten, but the pride in his father's voice had deeply affected him. If becoming involved with the Dark Lord was the price of his father's love, was Draco willing to make that sacrifice?

Blaise was also in bed after settling in at home once again. It was strange coming back now that there was another man living there again. Blaise hadn't spent much time with his mother's new husband, but he seemed like an okay guy. Blaise was torn between telling him to run and letting the inevitable occur. Blaise just hoped his mother waited to knock him off until he was back at Hogwarts. Then he could avoid the hassle of being dragged into the Ministry of Magic and being interrogated like he had for husband number five.

Blaise also wondered how Draco had fared at the Death Eater's meeting. Draco was much more deeply entrenched in the Death Eater lifestyle and Lucius Malfoy was no fool. Blaise knew from the moment he heard Draco had been invited that Lucius was once again manipulating his son. Draco wanted his father's love and attention so badly and Blaise wasn't sure if Draco could see through the manipulations or not. The upcoming year would be interesting, but it would also be dangerous. Was his friendship with Draco worth the personal risk involved?


	2. Chapter 2

**Desperate Times**

**Summary:** A new year brings new dangers and new decisions for everyone. Can people really change, or is it all just an act? Old alliances will be tested and new alliances will be formed as the battle between Light and Dark draws near. Can Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood melt the ice around the hearts of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini or will they learn that a Slytherin is never to be trusted? Rated M for later chapters. A Draco/ Ginny and Blaise/ Luna fic.

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much to everyone who read/ left reviews for chapter 1! I never imagined that so many people would want to read this story. Just so you all know, I plan on posting a chapter every Friday. This chapter is pretty expositional like chapter 1, but I promise there will be more interaction between Draco and Ginny and Blaise and Luna next chapter, so bear with me!

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns all things _Harry Potter_.

**Chapter 2: Of Trains and Freedom**

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Ginny hopped around her shoebox of a room on one foot, holding the other in her hands as waves of pain rolled up her leg. She wouldn't miss the cramped quarters of the Burrow once she got back to Hogwarts. Looking around her now empty room, Ginny suddenly felt a pang of sadness about leaving her childhood home. For all of the horrible things she had experienced in her short life, Tom Riddle's diary, the Chamber of Secrets, Umbridge, the Inquisitorial Squad, the Battle at the Ministry, she was still just a fifteen-year-old girl. She had kept herself busy over the summer, but there were still moments when it all overwhelmed her.

Grabbing her trunk, Ginny walked down the stairs and into the front sitting room where Harry, Ron, and Hermione's trunks were already waiting. Leaving her trunk there, Ginny walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table to eat her last meal of the summer.

As she spooned mouthfuls of oatmeal into her mouth she listened to Hermione give the table a description of her schedule, which was, well, intense. Having received an O on all of her O.W.L.S., Hermione was unable to choose which subjects to drop so she had decided to keep them all. As Hermione talked about the independent study project that she wanted to do in Ancient Runes and the research paper she was going to write for Herbology Ginny wished that fifth year was already over and she had her O.W.L.S. results back so that she didn't have to sit through another year of general requirement classes.

'Maybe I'll ask Professor McGonogall if I can do a project for extra credit,' Ginny wondered before taking a sip of orange juice, 'or whoever the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is.'

"I can't believe the summer's already over! It seems like yesterday that you all got home," Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes watering slightly as she looked at her children, two biological, two adopted.

Mrs. Weasley knew that the previous year had been rough on all of them. Ginny in particular seemed to be taking it quite hard. When she heard that Ginny was injured at the Ministry, Molly Weasley had broken down. The injustice of the situation is what hurt the most. At fifteen, Molly's biggest concerns had been homework and boys, but the world her own children lived in was much more dangerous. Still, she never once considered asking her kids to stay out of the fighting, to protect themselves from the danger.

For all the time she spent worrying about their safety, she was also extremely proud of them. It was wizards and witches like her children that would prevent Voldemort from gaining power, but the constant uncertainty could be draining for everyone. The threat of danger seemed to push Harry, Ron, and Hermione closer together, but it made Ginny become more withdrawn than ever before. At least she has Luna, the Weasley matriarch thought as her husband walked through the back door.

"Morning all," Arthur Weasley exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. It had been another all-nighter at the Ministry, but he just couldn't miss seeing the kids off to Hogwarts, especially after the experiences of the previous year. Seeing the half eaten breakfast sitting in front of his family though made him stop. He raised his eyebrows as he said,

"Not finished with breakfast yet! The train leaves in an hour, better hurry up."

With a renewed vigor, the Burrow's residents dug in and breakfast was quickly finished off. Ginny soon found herself standing in front of the fireplace, her trunk in one hand and a handful of floo powder in the other. As she threw the powder into the fire it hit her: summer was over.

"And remember to watch out for the wrackspurts Luna. They have gotten pretty good at evading the detection of the spectrespecs lately and the last thing we need is for your brain to go fuzzy," Xenophilius Lovegood told his daughter as they ate breakfast in the cozy nook tucked into the corner of their kitchen.

"Of course I will. Wouldn't want me to get kicked out of Ravenclaw for a lack of intelligence," Luna muttered as she bit into a strawberry filled Danish, looking out the window at the garden, checking for gnomes. One could never be too careful about gnomes, drop your guard for a second and suddenly you find yourself overrun with the little creatures.

When she looked back, the look on her father's face told her that he was being serious. She was too, kind of, but sometimes she got tired of how overprotective her father was. He saw her pack the spectrespecs in her bag not an hour ago. Luna tried again,

"Yes daddy, you know I'm always careful."

Her father seemed to accept her second attempt, giving her a short nod as he looked down at the next edition of The Quibbler that he was editing.

"I know, I know. It's just… you scared me last year Luna." Xenophilius replied, his voice lowering to a whisper by the end. With his wife dead, he didn't know what he would do if he lost Luna too.

Luna could see her father's apprehensions and she knew that he didn't understand why her involvement with Dumbledore's Army was so important to her. Xenophilius was by no means a supporter of He Who Must Not Be Named, but Luna knew that he would rather she not be so actively involved in the fighting. It was times like this that Luna wished her mother were still alive. By all accounts, Astrid* Lovegood was not afraid to get her hands dirty if it meant fighting for something she believed in. Last year the war literally took place right in front of her, had threatened the people she loved; how could her father expect her to stay on the sidelines?

Luna knew there was nothing she could say to either convince her father that he was acting foolish or to ease his mind about her safety, at least not in the ten minutes they had before it was time to depart for King's Cross. All she could do was scoot her chair closer to her father and give him a hug. The Lovegoods embraced for a moment, savoring one of the last moments they would have together as a family for months, each one wishing that the year would pass uneventfully and each one knowing that in such dangerous times their wish would probably not come true.

Across England, Draco awoke to an empty house. His father was away on "business," also known as elicit Death Eater activities, and his mother was attending a charity luncheon. Not that it mattered; his parents hadn't taken him to King's Cross since second year. For how much they both extolled his importance as the Malfoy heir they sure didn't put much effort into looking after him.

"I guess that's what house elves are for," Draco thought aloud as he heard the familiar Pop! of his house elf, Hoppy, apparating into the hallway outside his room. A moment later, a faint knock at the door confirmed his suspicions. Draco didn't even bother to answer, rolling out of bed with a slight groan. He had spent the last two days almost exclusively on his broom and he was finally beginning to feel it.

Hoppy entered Draco's room balancing a tray piled high with food. He attempted to bow, but due to his heavy load it ended up looking more like a lopsided curtsy.

"Hoppy has brought all of Master's favorite foods for his last meal in the manor."

Hoppy held out the tray, shaking under its weight. Draco stretched, attempting to ease the soreness in his muscles as he gestured in the direction of his bed. Torturing house elves was not his idea of fun. He didn't think that they should be set free like that mudblood Granger, but he wasn't going to be a sadistic bastard to them for no reason. Hobby quickly deposited the tray there.

"Will Master require anything else of Hoppy? Some snacks for the train perhaps? Some books? More clothes…"

"No, go. I won't need anything else before I leave," Draco said as he waved Hoppy off before turning to get ready. He heard another Pop! as Hobby disapparated and Draco was alone in his room once again.

Glancing over at the clothes he had laid out last night, Draco couldn't help but laugh a little. Grey slacks, white shirt, green and silver tie, black robes, all made of the highest quality fabrics and perfectly fitted and pressed, even for the train: the wardrobe of a Slytherin. Draco would be willing to bet a significant sum of money that the majority of his male Slytherin housemates would be dressed in the exact same outfit. He sighed. Now that summer was over, it looked like it was time for the old Draco Malfoy to emerge.

Blaise Zabini had just finished putting on the exact same outfit. In fact, if one were to look inside the Slytherin sixth year's closet, in fact, one would find dozens of outfits that were exactly the same. Slytherins weren't known for their originality, after all.

Ironically, after wishing he was home all summer Blaise now couldn't wait to get on the train. His initial impression of his mother's new husband had been wrong. The man was insufferable and now Blaise didn't feel so bad about going off to school and leaving the man to his death. It was clear that he thought his marriage was a marriage of convenience, a sham he would put up with for society's sake in order to take advantage of more… intimate pleasures. Even though his mother was by no means a saint, the whole thing left Blaise with a bad taste in his mouth.

The more disturbing aspect of the whole affair for Blaise was how poorly he had judged the man's character. Blaise prided himself on his ability to read people. He could take one look at a person and sense whether they were nervous, confident, or hiding something. In one conversation Blaise could discern the person's personal motivations, their fears, their aspirations. Such perceptions were learned through a lifetime of having to weed through Slytherin deceptions. Maybe he was losing his touch. Losing your touch could be very dangerous for a Slytherin.

Blaise shook his head, as if to shake out the offending thought from his mind. He wasn't surprised that it didn't work as he stood in front of the full-length mirror in his room inspecting his reflection.

"A good looking boy if I ever saw one," the mirror said as Blaise frowned slightly.

'I look exactly like the rest of them,' he thought, as his gaze drifted across his reflection in the mirror. Not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle in sight, perfectly bred and groomed. Suddenly he had a strong urge to hit the mirror, to smash it into a million little pieces along with his cookie cutter Slytherin image, but even if the image was gone the reality would remain the same and that made Blaise even angrier.

He looked down at his hands, which were suddenly balled into fists. He wasn't used to showing such raw and unexplainable emotions. Zabinis were not emotional; everything they did was measured, calculated for maximum personal benefit… What the hell was happening to him?

Platform 9 ¾ was teeming with Hogwarts students and their families. It was easy to spot the first years, their nervous energy mixing with excitement as they took in the scene. The older students, already accustomed to the chaos on the platform, weaved in and out of the crowd looking for their friends.

As soon as Ginny and her family passed through the barrier separating the platform from the Muggle world, the crowd fell silent. Rumors about what had occurred in the Ministry of Magic last spring were running rampant, but the people who knew the facts, the people who had actually been there, remained tight lipped on the whole affair. Slowly the silence was replaced by the buzz of the crowd and the Weasleys began to maneuver through the mass of humanity before them. Ginny scanned the crowd for Luna, but couldn't spot her friend's platinum blonde hair anywhere.

'She's probably already on the train,' Ginny thought as the group inched closer and closer to the train.

When they arrived at the train, goodbyes were said as Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione received hugs and words of encouragement from their parents. Finally, the familiar whistle sounded signaling that the Hogwarts Express was preparing to leave the station. Harry, Ron, and Hermione bounded up the steps, discussing where to look for a free compartment. As Ginny went to get on the train, Molly Weasley grabbed her youngest child's arm to hold her back. When Ginny turned to look at her, there were tears in her mother eyes as they embraced once again, her father looking on.

"Just be careful this year, Gin. The world's a dangerous place now a days" her mother half pleaded as the two stared into each other's eyes. The sudden and intense turn of emotions caught Ginny a little off guard. How did her parents expect her to stay out of danger when it was constantly surrounding her? She didn't choose to be the target for Tom Riddle's diary just like she didn't choose to have Umbridge as a teacher or to have to protect her friends from Death Eaters who wanted to kill them all the time. The injustice of it all made Ginny feel extremely frustrated, but she didn't let it show.

"Of course, mum, don't cry. I'll owl you when I'm all settled, okay?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded slightly as she released her daughter. With one more hug from her dad Ginny boarded the train just as it slowly began to pull away from the station. As it gained speed, Ginny looked back towards the platform and waved to her parents.

Draco and Blaise lounged in one of the rear compartments, surrounded by a dozen other sixth year Slytherins. Theodore Nott had just finished telling a story about how his father had sacked an employee the other day for being a mudblood lover and the whole group was laughing. Blaise was laughing too, his face contorted into a smirk. He had no idea what he was laughing at; he had tuned Nott out after the boy had mentioned how wealthy and powerful his father was for the third time. Still, his laughing had been instinctual and he fit into the group seamlessly. Inside though, Blaise was bored.

They had been on the train for fifteen minutes and he could already predict exactly what would happen for the remaining hours of the trip. Each Slytherin, Blaise included, would take a turn telling a story that would exhibit how elite his or her family was (Blaise would talk about his mother's marriage). Then the trolley would come and everyone would try to outspend everyone else. Finally, after such pleasantries were over the group would finally subdivide into smaller conversations and Blaise would get to talk about something that didn't have to do with how much money his family had. All he had to do was withstand another two more hours or so of this hell.

Blaise wondered if the same ritualistic compatitions went on in other compartments. While he had no doubt that Slytherins were preferable to all other houses, sometimes he wished they would just act normally instead of constantly trying to one up each other. They all came from rich and influential families; no one was questioning that fact. To Blaise it honestly felt a little like desperation.

"Zabini, where did you run off to all summer?"

Blaise didn't even pause as he looked at Nott, now finished with his story and finally willing to pass off the attention onto someone else. There was no indication that he hadn't been paying attention as he dove into the story of his summer as if reciting a dramatic monologue in a Shakespeare play. It was so easy for him to make the story suspenseful to get a laugh from the group. By the end of his performance he had the whole lot of them wishing that they had his life. The enigmatic Blaise Zabini had done it once again. Outside of Slytherin Blaise kept a pretty low profile, but within the house there was no doubt that he was a star.

Draco and Blaise locked eyes for a second and Draco had to suppress the urge to laughed out loud. He knew how much Blaise detested the back to school ritual, even though he was better at it than anyone else. That's what made Blaise such an effective Slytherin: he understood the rules, knew when he could break them and when he had to play along. From the owls the two had exchanged over the summer Draco knew half the things Blaise said weren't true, not that he would call Blaise out on it. Slytherins needed allies too.

Now that he was away from home again, it was almost too easy for Draco to slip back into his role as the Slytherin prince. Even though he had ignored his friends over the summer, they had accepted him back into the fold with open arms. Like Blaise, Draco recognized the problems with Slytherin arrogance, but his realization was much more recent. Just last year he had been consumed with the ritual like everyone else. He had thought that such shows of bravado were just how their world operated. Now, though, he could finally see how ridiculous the whole affair had become, but it was difficult for him to resist the temptations of his old way of life.

Unlike at the Manor, at Hogwarts Draco had real power. The Malfoy reputation was strong enough to assure that most students were afraid of him and Draco was able to get away with a lot of things that other students couldn't. Last year had curtailed this freedom. Although Draco had been the leader of the Inquisitorial Squad, he was basically following Umbridge's directions. It had made him feel like a puppet and he didn't like it. He was enough of one at home after all.

Two compartments down, Luna was sitting with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Padma Patil eating sweets from the trolley. Ginny had slipped out a few minutes ago to "use the bathroom." Luna suspected her friend really just needed some peace and quiet after spending the last hour in the cramped compartment. Luna was currently tucked into the far corner as she chewed on a chocolate frog, more observing than participating in the conversation. This was the first train ride that she actually felt comfortable with her companions.

"And I was thinking that we should continue to hold DA meetings even though they'll be a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Luna heard Harry say. She inched closer to the conversation, interested in hearing more about the future of the DA,

"Hermione, you should focus on research."

"You just don't want to spend extra time in the library," Hermione replied as she rolled her eyes. Harry's cheeks turned slightly red as he cleared his throat.

"Right, well, Ron and I are going to focus on logistics and membership and we'll also be helping to lead the workshops. Luna I want you to help lead too."

Luna felt herself smile and nod. She was proud that Harry trusted her dueling skills. Just then, the compartment door opened and Ginny appeared in the doorway. Harry turned to her and continued to outline his plan,

"Hey Gin, you're just in time. We want to get the DA started up again and I want you to be in charge of defense spells and self defense training."

Luna couldn't help but notice how Harry put an emphasis on the word I. Was the Boy Who Lived finally starting to notice Ginny? If Ginny was excited about the idea she didn't show it.

"What about offensive spells, hexes, the like. Who's going to be in charge of that?" Ginny replied, leaning in the doorway and crossing her arms tightly across her chest, as if bracing herself for something. Harry frowned, a confused look on his face.

"Dumbledore's Army is about learning to protect yourself. We don't need to learn offensive spells to do that."

Ginny wasn't surprised about Harry's answer. She had known the answer to her question before she asked it, but hearing the answer still made her blood boil.

"Because we're at war," she replied, placing a lot of weight on the last two words.

Everyone in the room was now silent, staring at either Harry or Ginny or alternating between the two. Luna's gaze rested solely on Ginny. She understood her friend's frustrations, but Harry apparently did not share their opinion or wasn't willing to admit it.

"We're not at war, Gin, not officially anyways, and even if we were we can't just go around teaching underage students how to attack people."

"Why not?" Ginny asked, her voice rising slightly.

"They're old enough to get attacked by Death Eaters, but they're not old enough to defend themselves. That's bullshit."

"Come on Gin, that's not fair…" Ron interjected, trying to diffuse the situation, but Ginny only got louder.

"It's not fair that Umbridge tortured Harry all year. It's not fair that all the Death Eater's got released from Azkaban after only a week. It's not fair that…" Ginny was breathing heavily by this point as she struggled to contain the pent up emotions that had been brewing inside of her all summer.

"It's not fair that Sirius had to die."

Everything stood still for a moment; no one knew what to say. Sirius' death was like an elephant in the room, no one talked about it except now someone did and now no one knew what to do about it.

Ginny's head was spinning. The anger she felt towards Harry was now subsiding as she saw the pain clearly evident on his face. She hadn't meant to bring Sirius up, it just happened and she wasn't sure if she regretted it or not. She was tired of people covering up difficult situations because they were hard to talk about. It was time to face the reality of the situation, but even Ginny couldn't face the stares at the moment. She disappeared from the doorway, quickly moving down the corridor praying that no one approached her as she looked for a place to hide.

For once in her life, Luna had nothing to say.

'Think Luna, think,' she implored her brain, but nothing came. All she could see was Ginny, obviously beginning to regret her harsh words. In an instant, she was gone and suddenly Luna could act. She swiftly got up and began to move towards the now vacant opening, intending to find Ginny and calm her down, but Ron blocked her path.

"Just give her some time to cool off first. I'm sure she'll be back in a bit," he said as Luna pushed him out of the way.

"You don't understand her," she muttered as she entered the corridor, looking left and then right, but seeing no one. Luna guessed that Ginny probably switched cars to distance herself from the group, which gave Luna two options. Thinking about what she would do if she were in this situation, Luna started to move towards the back of the train, hoping to find Ginny before she started to doubt herself too much.

Blaise's head was about to explode. The train ride was usually obnoxious, but this time it was damn near unbearable. He stood swiftly and crossed the room without saying a word. He could feel Draco's eyes on his back, but he didn't care as he opened the door and stepped through. Blaise heard his classmates calling out to him, asking him questions about where he was going and what he was up to, but he didn't even bother acknowledging them as he closed the door behind him without turning around. For a moment, Blaise closed his eyes and relished in the silence of the corridor, but he couldn't linger long. Draco would come try to find him soon and Blaise wasn't even in the mood to talk to his best friend.

Just as he started to open his eyes, someone bumped him as they passed, putting him off balance. He reached out to steady himself against the wall as he stumbled before he opened his eyes and turned to confront the idiot that had almost knocked him over. Most people gave him a wide berth, wary of his sharp tongue and Slytherin status. By the time he realized what was going on the person was already halfway down the corridor, half walking, half running. All he could see was a head full of blond hair and a Ravenclaw uniform

"Hey!" Blaise cried to get the girl's attention as he set out after her, intending to give her a good telling off, more so to relieve his frustrations about the past few hours than because he was actually upset about being knocked against the wall.

The girl didn't stop, but turned mid-step, calling out, "Sorry!"

Blaise only got a glimpse of her crystal clear gray eyes before she turned around again and kept moving.

She opened the door at the end of the corridor and stepped out onto the platform between cars. Blaise followed her, determined to stop her and obtain a more formal apology, but by the time he opened the door she was gone. Standing on the small platform in the open air, Blaise replayed the events in his mind. Oddly enough, he thought, he hadn't recognized the girl. She looked like an upperclassman and Blaise prided himself of knowing everything about the people around him. She was obviously pretty, so why hadn't Blaise noticed her before? This required further investigation for sure.

Blaise turned back into the corridor just as Draco appeared to look for him. He was surprised that his friend wasn't three cars away by now, but was thankful that he wouldn't have to spend the next hour looking for him. As Draco approached, he noticed that Blaise seemed a little unsteady. His friend was usually unflappable and Draco wondered what could have happened in the past three minutes that would have made him this way, but the look on Blaise's face stopped him from voicing his question aloud.

"Bloody witches…" Blaise muttered under his breath as he brushed passed Draco and reentered the room, flopping down on the seat and staring into the faces of his friends, as if daring them to speak to him. The look on his face effectively deterred any questions his friends had about his storming off just a few minutes ago. Draco also reentered and soon the conversation was back to normal. Both Blaise and Draco were deep in thought and mostly stayed out of the conversation, both wishing that the train ride would end soon, but knowing that they had a few hours of torture left before they were back at school.

Luna's intuition was right and she found Ginny at the very end of the train, leaning on the railing and staring into the landscape. She hadn't even turned around when Luna opened the door and now the two girls were standing silently side-by-side. Now that Luna was here, she wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to tell Ginny that she understood her feelings, that she too was scared about being unprepared for the dangers that would inevitable lie ahead, but she wasn't sure if Ginny was up for such a serious conversation right now. Whatever the case, Luna would be there for her friend, no matter what. Finally, Ginny spoke,

"I just felt so helpless that night."

Luna nodded slowly, flashbacks from the battle entering her thoughts uninvited as Ginny continued,

"I never want to feel that way again, not if I can help it."

Ginny turned to face Luna and vice versa so the girls were facing each other. A passion burned brightly in Ginny's eyes, a sort of intensity Luna had never seen her display before. Luna lowered her eyes, thinking about the implications of her friend's statement. While Luna agreed that Dumbledore's Army couldn't just continue to teach disarming spells and expect to survive another fight with the Death Eaters, she didn't exactly want to stoop to their level either. That was the difference between the Light and the Dark after all, one side had boundaries, values that were non-negotiable while the other side was willing to do whatever was necessary to win. Turning back to face the vast landscape, Luna was torn. Both girls remained silent, the wind whipping through their hair as the conductor blew the whistle signaling that Hogwarts was up ahead.

*Astrid is a Scandinavian name that means unusual beauty and strength.


	3. Chapter 3

**Desperate Times**

**Summary:** A new year brings new dangers and new decisions for everyone. Can people really change, or is it all just an act? Old alliances will be tested and new alliances will be formed as the battle between Light and Dark draws near. Can Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood melt the ice around the hearts of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini or will they learn that a Slytherin is never to be trusted? Rated M for later chapters. A Draco/ Ginny and Blaise/ Luna fic.

**Author's Note:** Again, thanks to everyone that read/ left a review. I really appreciate it. Now that we're finally back at Hogwarts the real story can begin! Someone commented on the amount of feelings that were expressed in the first two chapters, which is true. I think, in some ways, this story will be about the difference between feelings and actions. It is really easy to have an opinion about something, but it is a lot harder to act on it, especially where peer pressure and family history are involved. While reading the HP books and HP fanfiction, sometimes I forget that most of the characters are just teenagers. They are trying to figure out who they are in an extremely dangerous world and even though they may think they have all the answers, they usually don't.

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns all things _Harry Potter_.

**Chapter 3: Let the Games Begin**

"Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table cheered as the sorting hat called out their house name. Dillan Whelan* scurried over and sat down with his new housemates, thankful that he had finally been sorted.

With the Sorting Hat ceremony finally over, Dumbledore stood to make his annual welcome back speech. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs quieted down immediately, but it took a stern look from Professor Snape to stop the murmurings coming from the Slytherin table.

Dumbledore peered over his half moon glasses, a faint smile on his face as he scanned the room full of students before him.

"Now that we are all settled, I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, Mr. Filch has asked that I mention the list of magical objects forbidden within the castle. I believe the list is up to six hundred and thirty seven objects. If anyone wishes to view the list in its entirety you may do so in Mr. Filch's office."

Snickers of laughter echoed around the room. Even the Gryffindors were not immune to the humor of the situation. Mr. Filch stood near the entrance to the hall, a scowl fixed on his face as Ms. Norris growled at his feet. Dumbledore gave a small smile, but his face soon turned serious as he continued.

"I must also mention that students are not permitted within the Forbidden Forest under any circumstance."

As he said this, Dumbledore focused his attention on the table where Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, and Dean sat. Harry gave a slight nod and Dumbledore restored his gaze to the rest of the room. Ginny rolled her eyes. If Harry thought someone he cared about was in danger, Harry wouldn't hesitate to break that or any other rule to do what he thought was right.

"And finally, let me conclude by informing you that we do indeed have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year."

The hall filled with the sounds of students speculating on who their new professor would be. No one was willing to bet that this one would last any longer than the others. Ginny scanned the professor's table, but did not see any new faces.

"Unfortunately, she has not arrived yet, so you will all have the pleasure of meeting her during your first class together. And now it is time to retire for the evening. While I know that it is tempting to stay up tonight and catch up with your friends, remember that lessons begin tomorrow with earnest. Good night!"

The hall instantly burst into a flurry of activity. Prefects called out to first years as the school began to stream into the hallways, making their way to their respective common rooms. Ginny joined the flow, waving to Luna from across the mass of people as they departed through separate exits.

Draco tried to contain his growing urge to hex someone as a group of newly ordained first year Slytherins surrounded him and Pansy Parkinson, who was standing a little too close to him. It was times like this when the prefect position just wasn't worth it. He saw Blaise leaving the hall with Daphne Greengrass and the two boys made eye contact momentarily. Blaise waved obnoxiously and Draco almost flipped him off before remembering that the professors hadn't left the room yet. His revenge would have to wait for later.

Draco led his new flock into the dungeons, finally stopping at the inconspicuous wall that was the entrance to their common room.

"To enter the common room, you will need to say the password. This changes every fortnight. The current password is serpens."

As Draco uttered the password, the wall behind him began to shift, finally revealing a stone passageway lined with torches. Some of the first years gasped as Draco and Pansy led the group through the passage, the faint scraping sound indicating that the portal had closed behind them.

The passageway opened into the vast common room, a faint green tinge illuminated groups of students lounging on the low, plush sofas near the fireplace or sitting at the cluster of tables near the stairways to the dormitories. The house turned to look at its new members, sizing them up. Draco was sure that other houses (in particular the Gryffindors) probably welcomed their new students with open arms, but Slytherins were more subtle and the first years needed to earn their place.

"Welcome to Slytherin."

Leaving the first years to figure out the rest on their own, Draco joined his friends by the fire. He sat down on the sofa, only to be joined soon after by Pansy, who sat so close to him that their legs were touching.

Blaise, who was perched on an armchair closer to the fire held back a laugh. He almost felt bad for Draco… almost. If Draco wasn't so damn hormonal, he wouldn't be having this problem. Attachment was the root of all girl problems in Blaise's opinion; you could never let them think you were too fond of them.

"Drakie, now that we're back at school I hope you won't be so solitary all the time. The summer was dreadfully boring without you."

Pansy looped her arm around Draco's and pulled herself even closer him, as Draco gazed into the fire, wishing he could tell Pansy what he really felt about her. At one time Draco had been excited about the idea of being involved with her. She was a pureblood from a good family after all, but now she just reminded him of his mother, cold and distant, more concerned with outward appearances than loving her son. To Pansy, Draco was just a means to an end. An assurance that she could continue to live her life in the lap of luxury and have children that were as pureblooded as they come.

"And remember that you promised to take me to Hogsmeade. I was thinking we could do some shopping and then go to Madam Puddifoot's for tea."

Blaise was now shaking with silent laughter and he wasn't alone. Draco and Pansy's relationship was common knowledge amongst Slytherins. After all, it wasn't all evil wizards and world domination.

Draco stood up suddenly, unable to think of a socially acceptable response to Pansy's inane chatter and unwilling to get into an argument with her about the status of their (nonexistent) relationship. It was a couple of heavy snogging sessions for heaven's sake, nothing serious!

He quickly walked up the stairs and into the boy's dormitory before Pansy could follow him, closing the door firmly behind him. Locating his trunk, Draco began unpacking his things as he heard the door open behind him.

"Pansy, I really don't want to talk about this right now," he said without turning around, continuing to levitate his belongings from his trunk into his wardrobe.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not Pansy," Blaise replied, jumping onto Draco's bed and getting comfortable.

Draco tried to push Blaise off the bed, but Blaise was anticipating such a move. He used Draco's force to with his own, throwing Draco over his bed and into his half empty wardrobe.

"What the Fuck! Zabini, what the hell was that!"

Blaise sat up and shook his head,

"You may know how to duel, but you're shit at fighting."

Draco rubbed the shoulder that had made contact with the wardrobe, knowing that it would start to bruise the next day. The door opened again as Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle entered. Blaise turned his head at the noise and Draco took the opportunity to give Blaise a well-placed kick in the back. Blaise, not ready for the impact, let out an audible cry as he left Draco's bed and landed awkwardly on the floor, barely able to get a hand out in front of his face to slow down the impact.

None of the three boys who just entered the room were surprised. Malfoy and Zabini had been going at it for years.

Blaise rolled over with a groan and slowing got to his feet, dusting off the non-existent dirt his robes.

"That was a cheap shot, Malfoy. Too afraid to face me in a fair fight?"

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in Slytherin Zabini. If you want a fair fight maybe you should have been a Gryffindor."

The dormitory filled with the sound of laughter, even Blaise joined in. He had to admit, Draco was right; he was acting just like the self-righteous bastards. The tension now gone, the five boys continued to get ready for bed as they enjoyed one of the few stress free moments they would have all year.

Across the castle, a party was in full swing in the Gryffindor common room. Ginny sat in an alcove holding a glass of pumpkin juice, filling Hermione in on the progress she made during the summer with her studies. Hermione nodded enthusiastically, clearly impressed with Ginny's work.

" I can't believe that you brewed a strengthening solution on your own Ginny! And without any of us knowing…"

Ginny almost regretted bringing it up. Hermione had the tendency to overreact when it came to academic subjects. Ginny was even more mortified when Hermione called Harry and Ron over to tell them about it.

"… can you believe it? In her bedroom, right under our noses …"

Harry smiled while patting Ginny awkwardly on the back.

"Good work Gin, maybe you could help me with my work this year?"

Ginny wasn't sure if Harry was kidding or not so she agreed while Ron questioned why she would spend all summer stuck in her room brewing potions and reading books.

"I mean… come on Gin, all summer. You're worse than Hermione!"

Ron's eyes opened wide as he realized that he had said the last part out loud. Hermione's face started to turn red.

"Ronald! Just because some people want to take their studies seriously doesn't mean you should make fun of them. If it weren't for me can you imagine what kinds of grades you and Harry would have received on your O.W.L.S.?"

Both boys had the decency to look sheepish as Ginny and Hermione laughed at their expense. Ginny was thankful that the awkwardness of the train ride had been forgotten, but there was always a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was on the outside looking in at their friendship.

"You guys spent a lot of time inside too if I recall," Ginny began, wishing to be let in on their secrets and knowing that they would never completely confide in her. Ron turned even redder, a sure sign that he was hiding something.

"Well Gin, you know, we were just brushing up on some, uh, spells and…"

Ron looked to Harry or Hermione for help, but none of them seemed to have a response. Ginny nodded her head, her suspicions confirmed. She hopped up from the bench she was sitting on and made her way towards the girl's dormitory, depositing her now empty pumpkin juice cup on the table as she went. Hermione went after her, catching up on the stairs.

"I'm sorry Ginny, it really wasn't important though. I mean, half the time we just talked about last year."

Something about the tone of Hermione's voice made Ginny feel even more insignificant to the trio.

"If it's not important, why are you being so secretive about it?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Ginny cut her off.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter anyways."

Ginny continued up the stairs and Hermione didn't follow her. Upon entering the fifth year girl's dorm, Ginny was confronted with two of her roommates, Matilda Adams* and Valerie Hill* giggling on their beds.

"Ginny! We didn't see you on the train!" Matilda exclaimed between giggles.

"I sat with Luna, Neville, Padma, Harry—"

"With Harry, huh…" Valerie interjected, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Ginny groaned. The girls had teased her incessantly about Harry ever since she sent that singing valentine to him in first year. Didn't they know that she had moved on? Her relationships with Dean and Michael were evidence of that.

Wisely choosing not to respond, Ginny began to pull items from her trunk, haphazardly stuffing them into her wardrobe and various drawers. Matilda and Valerie went back to their whispering and giggling, glancing at Ginny from time to time. Ginny sighed, wishing Luna were a Gryffindor instead of a Ravenclaw.

In the Ravenclaw tower, Luna was wishing the same thing. On two occasions people had whispered Loony Lovegood in her ear, but by the time she turned around, no one was there. Now, Luna was thinking of charms that would catch the culprit in the act. She couldn't think of any off the top of her head, but she imagined that it wouldn't be too difficult to modify a location charm to fit her purposes.

She was now seated next to Padma Patil who was reading her transfiguration textbook to get ahead. Luna usually spent the first night at Hogwarts in her dormitory, reading or rereading the new edition of the Quibbler, but this year Padma had asked if she would sit with her and Luna was more than happy to. Luna respected her housemate's intelligence, but more so the way she treated her friends. Luna never felt weird or strange around Padma.

Left to her own devices, Luna stared into the fire, the warm glow of the light reflected in her eyes. She imagined creatures dancing through the flames and wondered if they were real or imaginary. She would have to write to her father about this; it could be a potential new article. Luna yawned, struggling to keep her eyes open as the warmth of the fire enveloped her.

The next thing Luna knew, the early morning sun was shining brightly in her eyes. She sat up and looked around, realizing that she had fallen asleep in the common room the night before and no one had bothered to wake her up. Now, the room was deserted and all that remained of the fire were some dull embers. Rubbing her eyes, Luna got up and quietly moved towards her dormitory. Glancing at the clock on her dresser, Luna suppressed a groan as she saw that it was only 6:45.

Quickly rummaging through her unpacked trunk, Luna put on her uniform in the dark so she didn't wake her roommates. Briefly considering whether to wear shoes or not, Luna ultimately threw them on, knowing that they would probably be "lost" in a few weeks. After quickly running a brush through her hair, Luna went back downstairs and through the portal into the main hallway.

Standing completely still for a moment, Luna noticed the absolute silence of the castle.

'Maybe I'll start getting up early every day,' Luna thought as she began to make her way to the Great Hall, praying that breakfast would be ready. Thankfully, the magic of Hogwarts worked again. When Luna arrived in the empty hall, a single place setting was laid out on the Ravenclaw table, filled to the brim with Luna's favorite breakfast foods. She threw her bag onto the table, her books falling across its surface, but Luna didn't care. The Ravenclaw girl smiled as she dug into her meal, staring up at the ever-changing starry sky.

Blaise had always been an early riser. In the words of husband number three:

"Your problem is that you think you have time. Don't you forget boy, time is always an advantage. If you aren't the first to rise you're already behind."

Unfortunately, Blaise had to put up with him all summer. For one horrifying moment, Blaise actually thought his mother might keep the man around, but luckily he too had finally met his end and the Zabinis found themselves a few hundred thousand galleons richer. Still, the lesson always stuck with Blaise and he often taunted Draco for his love of sleeping in.

Blaise was usually the first person in the Great Hall every morning so he was a little shocked to see another person already there. Intrigued, Blaise approached the girl, interested to see who had finally beaten him to breakfast. When he reached her, she looked up and Blaise froze for a second.

Seeing her gray eyes, Blaise instantly recognized the girl who ran into him on the train. From the front, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, although she was wearing some sort of odd necklace around her neck. Unlike most of the Slytherin girls, who covered their face in a thick mask of makeup, the girl's face was completely bare, allowing her natural beauty to come through. Blaise blinked, but recovered quickly.

"May I sit down?"

Luna looked up at Blaise Zabini as if he had two heads. Why on earth would a Slytherin want to sit with her? Was this some kind of joke, a prank for Slytherin amusement? Luna wanted to look around for other Slytherins who might be hiding, but Blaise was staring at her. She could think of no polite way to decline his request.

"Sure, have a seat."

Blaise sat down quickly and Luna noted how gracefully he moved, although she would never say that to his face. Her food now forgotten, Luna leaned on her elbows, curious why Blaise Zabini wanted to spend time with her.

"What brings you to the Ravenclaw table this morning?"

"I think you know why."

Blaise continued to stare, but the girl sitting across from him didn't seem to be effected by it. Odd, most people cringed after only a few seconds.

"I'm not sure, unless you're considering switching into Ravenclaw."

Blaise intensified his stare, unsure if she was baiting him or had actually forgotten about the train.

"I think you owe me an apology."

Luna looked skeptical.

"What for?"

"Well, I had a little incident on the train. I was almost run over by a blond haired Ravenclaw girl."

Luna's eyes opened wide, remembering how she brushed past him on her way to find Ginny. Then she began to laugh. Blaise was not amused.

"I didn't find it quite so funny."

This just made Luna laugh even more as she tried to respond.

"It's just… you… getting all distraught over… a little bump by a girl!"

Who did this girl think she was? The only people allowed to laugh at Blaise were Slytherins and only then when they had permission. The only problem was that, when she put it that way, the whole thing did sound a bit ridiculous. Before he could come up with an adequate response, Luna gained control of herself.

"If it really means that much to you, I'm sorry."

Blaise knew that was as good an apology he was going to get. He glanced down, noticing the mess of books and supplies that surrounded her. One book in particular got his attention. He picked up the slim text, _A Treatise on the Practical Art of Dueling: How to Win and Not to Lose_ by Patricia Edgecombe, and began to thumb through the pages quickly.

"Interesting choice of reading material," he said as he found a chapter on the art of using wandless magic for advanced hexes. He liked this girl more and more by the minute.

"Why? Because I'm a lowly Ravenclaw?"

"No," Blaise said, looking up from the book, "because this book is on the list of Class B Restricted Texts from the Ministry of Magic due to the fact that it includes practical methods of learning Dark Magic."

Luna blushed. She had borrowed the book from Ginny when she went to visit her over the summer and had only made it through the first chapter on correct dueling posture. Who knows where Ginny had gotten it. And now it was in the hands of a Slytherin.

"I don't know what you mean. It's mostly about theory I assure you…"

Blaise wasn't falling for it.

"Listen, stop trying to lie because you're not very good at it."

Luna just stared, trying to quickly come up with a way to get the book back. Maybe she shouldn't have laughed at him before.

"I know because I have my own copy. It's a particular favorite of mine," Blaise continued, enjoying the look on the girl's face, her eyes wide in a mixture of fear and surprise. His morning just kept getting better and better.

"Please," Luna said softly, knowing how little effect such pleasantries would probably have on the Slytherin.

Blaise looked at the girl before him, no longer confident and laughing. He almost missed the look on her face when she was laughing at him. He sighed and pushed the book across the table to her, his fun ruined.

"Will you stop whining, it isn't attractive. Don't worry, I'm not going to waste my time ratting you out to Flitwick or anything."

Luna let out a sigh of relief as she reclaimed the book, holding it tight against her chest. Students began to file into the Great Hall, most midways between being asleep and awake. Blaise got up, suddenly conscious that he was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. He gave the girl a nod and began to walk away before remembering that he forgot to ask her name. By the time he turned around, the girl was out of her seat and walking towards the exit, preparing to leave the room.

Almost unconsciously, Blaise began to follow her. He weaved in and out of the increasing number of students filing into breakfast, thankful that his height allowed him to keep an eye on her through the crowd. Blaise continued to close the distance between them, a perfectly prepared reason as to why he had followed her already formulated in his mind.

Blaise had almost reached her when she approached a group of students and Blaise stopped in his tracks. His mystery girl was talking to Potter, Weasley, and Granger. Who the hell was she and why didn't he know about her until now? Blaise liked to know whom the opposition was and her association with the Golden Trio definitely made her the opposition. A hand landed on his shoulder and Blaise jumped in surprise.

"Jumpy this morning Zabini?" Draco drawled as Blaise shrugged his shoulder to remove the offending hand.

"I wouldn't be talking Malfoy… what was your nick name in fourth year?"

Blaise pretended to think about the answer.

"Oh yes, the amazing bouncing ferret," Blaise shot back, emphasizing each word to Draco's embarrassment.

Draco's eyes darkened at the mention of it, his eyes turning towards the group of Gryffindors before them in obvious contempt. Blaise realized that there was a good chance Draco knew the name of the mysterious Ravenclaw girl.

"It looks like Potter and his lackeys found a new recruit. I wonder who it is." Blaise stated indifferently, although inside he hoped Draco had the information he wanted.

It was never a good idea for a Slytherin to ask for something outright. Revealing true intentions made one vulnerable.

"God Zabini, pull your head out of your ass for a second. That's Loony Luna Lovegood. She was one of the pathetic members of Dumbledore's Army last year."

Blaise nodded as Draco turned to enter the Great Hall. Blaise followed and sat down with him, his breakfast appearing magically before him. As he ate, Blaise was formulating a plan. The girl was involved with the Gryffindors; that was bad, but she hadn't displayed the enormous ego and inflated sense of self-importance that Potter and his cronies were known for. He wondered if the holy golden trio knew that she was dabbling in the Dark Arts on the side. That might be an interesting piece of information to divulge at the appropriate moment.

Still, he couldn't get the image of her laughing at him out of his head. Not many people had the balls to do that to him and oddly enough he had kind of liked it. Breaking his word about the book wouldn't win him any points with her, but Blaise wasn't committing to maintaining his silence before he learned more about his new acquaintance. Now he just had to find a way to talk to her again without advertising it to the entire school.

"What do you think Zabini?"

Blaise stared at Nott, completely oblivious about why he was asking him a question.

"Er, what?" Blaise muttered in a completely unsophisticated way.

His friends gave him strange looks, wondering what was making their usually collected friend a bit frazzled this morning.

"We have double potions with the Gryffindors first thing." Nott repeated, enunciating each word clearly as if talking to a child. The laughter increased.

"Seeing as we've had potions with the Gryffindors every year we've been at Hogwarts I would say that I am not surprised." Blaise replied sharply, irritated at having been caught off guard by someone as obnoxious as Theodore Nott.

The group laughed even harder and Blaise's reputation was restored while Nott blushed, realizing how stupid his observation was. Blaise glanced around the hall again, but there was no sign of the Lovegood girl. Getting up to go to the dungeons Blaise knew that there would be plenty of time to figure out his next move later.

In fact, Luna was sitting in a small corridor off of the main hall, clutching Ginny's book tight in her arms. She had been foolish to be so trusting of Blaise Zabini. For all she knew, he was well on his way to becoming a Death Eater. Still, Luna had to admit that Blaise didn't try to blackmail her for possessing the book. In fact, it seemed like he was impressed that she had such a book in her possession. Like most complicated things in life, this encounter would need more time to process. In the mean time, Luna would have to have a talk with Ginny about where she found the book.

Luckily, Luna had her opportunity to talk to Ginny before Transfiguration. She pulled Ginny into the corridor outside Professor McGonagall's classroom and around the corner as Ginny yelped in surprise.

"Luna, what's going on?"

"Where did you find that book on dueling you let me borrow?"

Luna looked at her friend, who stared at her for a moment before the signs of guilt began to appear her face. Ginny ran her fingers through her hair.

"I told you, I found it in a second hand shop in Diagon Alley."

"Which shop?"

"I can't remember,"

Luna didn't like the idea that her best friend in the entire world was lying to her.

"Come on Gin, we both know that's not true."

Ginny looked up at the ceiling,

"It might have been in Knockturn Alley instead," she murmured.

"Are you crazy! Who knows what kind of dark magic could be hiding inside! Or curses! Or hexes!"

Ginny grabbed Luna by the shoulders.

"Luna, it isn't like that and you know it. Besides, it's way more practical than any of the textbooks they assign for DADA. I mean look,"

Ginny pulled out the fifth year DADA textbook, _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection_ by Quentin Trimble from her bag.

"How in the world is anyone supposed to be able to defend themselves with this rubbish. See,"

Ginny flipped to chapter seven, which was all about illusions one could use to buy time to escape danger.

"Imagine you're in a fight and the only spell you can think of is the smokescreen spell, like that would save you from a Death Eater."

Luna knew that Ginny had a very good point, but she was still concerned.

"Fine, but you should have told me where you got it. I just left it out in the open and then Zabini picked it up—"

Ginny's heart began to race.

"Zabini, as in the Slytherin Blaise Zabini, knows about the book! Luna, you should have said something before. We need to do damage control now."

Ginny began to pace. If Zabini knew, that meant soon every Slytherin in the castle would know. Having a Dark Arts book was a serious crime, especially for an underage witch and Ginny had no doubt that the Slytherins would use this type of information against her, or even worse, against Luna.

Luna stepped in Ginny's path and Ginny nearly ran into her.

"Zabini isn't going to tell anyone. He told me he wouldn't."

Ginny threw up her hands.

"And you believed him? He's probably telling Malfoy and all his Death Eater friends all about it right now!"

Luna's previous reservations about Blaise's intentions were still there, but so was his assurance that he would keep her secret. For some reason, she trusted him. Luna always tried to see the good in people.

"No, he said the whole thing wasn't worth his time. Believe me, Zabini won't do anything, but we have to keep the book hidden from now on."

Ginny gave Luna an exasperated look, but Luna wouldn't budge.

"I believe you Luna, just not a slimy Slytherin like Zabini. I'll hide the book, but if any Slytherins try to talk to you about it, don't say anything and come find me, okay?"

Luna nodded and handed Ginny the book. Ginny stuffed it into her bag, already thinking of a list of places it would least likely be found. The girls returned to the classroom and found their seats just as Professor McGonagall swept into the room and the day's lesson, turning a kettle into a toad, appeared on the board.

Ginny copied the notes blindly, her thoughts preoccupied by a certain dark haired Slytherin sixth year. Blaise Zabini was one of the more low key members of his house, but that didn't make him less dangerous and it didn't make him any less likely to be affiliated with the Death Eaters. He was best friends with Malfoy after all.

"Ms. Weasley, since it seems like this lesson is boring you, why don't you show us all how easy this incantation is."

Professor McGonagall's voice cut through Ginny's concentration as her thoughts about Slytherins slipped away. The class of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws turned to stare at her. She stood up and made her way to the front of the class where a large pewter kettle sat waiting to me transfigured. She held up her wand and uttered the incantation, _mutare in bufo_, while waving her wand in the shape of the letter G. The kettle glowed slightly before transforming into a large, gray toad.

"Ms. Weasley, I'm impressed. Ten points for Gryffindor. Now class, it's time to practice. I can assure you, Ms. Weasley makes the incantation look quite easy."

Ginny returned to the table she shared with Luna as her classmates began to practice. Luna attempted the spell and the kettle glowed, but nothing else happened.

"You need to put more emphasis on the B, that's the trick," Ginny instructed.

Luna tried the spell again and this time it worked. Luna stroked her hand across the toad's head as Professor McGonagall walked by.

"Very nice, Luna. Five points to Ravenclaw."

Luna smiled at her professor before turning back to the toad.

"I'm also very impressed with your progress Ms. Weasley. This spell isn't easy to master on the first try."

"Thank you, Professor. I decided to read ahead in the book a bit this summer."

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows slightly as she peered at Ginny over the frame of her glasses.

"I hope you weren't engaging in underage magic Ms. Weasley."

Ginny could feel her face turning red as she looked at her head of house.

"Of course not Professor,"

McGonagall gave Ginny a look that said she didn't believe her as went to move on to the next table before turning to look at Ginny again.

"Will you stay after class for a moment Ms. Weasley, there's something I wish to speak with you about."

Ginny nodded again and McGonagall departed.

"I wonder what Professor McGonagall wants," Luna said as she held her newly transfigured toad in her hands.

"I have no idea," Ginny replied, turning towards the kettle on her desk and quickly transfiguring it into a toad that matched Luna's.

After class, Ginny approached Professor McGonagall as Luna shot her a sympathetic glance while leaving the room.

"You wanted to see me Professor,"

McGonagall looked at the youngest Weasley with a slightly motherly tone. The young woman before her was definitely not the same girl who had followed Harry Potter around like a love sick puppy for years.

"Yes, Ms. Weasley. I was extremely impressed with your work this morning."

Ginny couldn't help but smile. Her head of house didn't hand out compliments liberally.

"Thank you professor, that means a lot."

"I hadn't planned to offer this to students who haven't completed their O.W.L.S. yet, but you have demonstrated a mastery of transfiguration that most students never achieve. This year, Professor Dumbledore has approved independent study projects for students who wish to pursue more advanced course work in their free time."

This was not the stern reprimand on the use of underage magic that Ginny was expecting. Immediately a hundred different ideas flew into her mind; she just hoped Professor McGonagall would be interested in overseeing a potentially controversial topic.

"I'm definitely interested Professor. I already have a few ideas, but could I focus on a subject outside of transfiguration?"

McGonagall smiled; she knew from Molly Weasley's remarks during the last Order of the Phoenix meeting that Ginny Weasley was beginning to rebel against the underage wizard restrictions in place by the Ministry. She hoped the independent study project would allow the Ginny to do research without getting into trouble, or at least not as much trouble.

"Of course; why don't you think them over and we'll get together to discuss them next week."

Ginny agreed and she quickly exited the classroom, her mind racing. There were so many topics she was interested in, choosing one would be difficult. There were the recent breakthroughs in advanced shield spells that could lead to protections against the unforgivable curses or the rumors that, centuries ago, witches and wizards used to be able to perform multiple incantations simultaneously. It was only a matter of how far McGonagall would let her go outside the realm of traditional (i.e. safe) subjects of study.

Ginny rounded the corner, moving quickly to avoid being late for her next class, and froze. Starring back at her was Draco Malfoy, future Death Eater and all around Slytherin bastard.

* AU characters


	4. Chapter 4

**Desperate Times**

**Summary:** A new year brings new dangers and new decisions for everyone. Can people really change, or is it all just an act? Old alliances will be tested and new alliances will be formed as the battle between Light and Dark draws near. Can Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood melt the ice around the hearts of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini or will they learn that a Slytherin is never to be trusted? Rated M for later chapters. A Draco/ Ginny and Blaise/ Luna fic.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed! A question came up in the comments that I thought was interesting about Luna's blood status. I imagine Luna to be either a pure blood witch or almost one (i.e. there hasn't been a muggle in her family for several generations). At this point in my plan, the question of her blood purity won't be an issue in her relationship with Blaise. It would be more difficult for Blaise to accept Luna is she was a muggle born or half-blood just because he is a little pretentious, but ultimately I don't think it would be a deal breaker for him. Blaise doesn't necessarily believe that muggles are evil; he just thinks that he is better than them.

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns all things _Harry Potter_.

**Chapter 4: Danger, Danger, Everywhere**

Draco glared at the littlest Weasley. How in the world was his luck so bad? Hogwarts was huge and the two of them happened to randomly run into each other in the hallway… fate was cruel sometimes. Over the summer, he'd thought long and hard about what he would say to Potter or one of his friends when he ran into them, but now he was drawing a blank. He couldn't even recognize the girl in front of him anymore; he just saw what she represented.

The night Lucius Malfoy got out of Azkaban had been one of the worst nights of Draco's life. His father blamed him for failing to stop Potter's private army, as if it was Draco's fault Lucius was caught red handed trying to kill his classmates. The hexes that night seemed more painful than usual, but what hurt the worst was his father's distain for him. In Lucius' eyes, his son was a failure and Draco despised the whole lot of them for it.

While Draco was processing the situation, Ginny was strategizing. Malfoy was an excellent dueler, but Ginny wasn't too shabby either. She had handled him quite well last year and she could do it again if she had to, but first she had to get to her wand. If she reached for it now, Malfoy was sure to react. She had to distract him, so she focused on his most obvious weakness, his family pride.

"How's your father doing these days, Malfoy? They say a man can go mad after spending one night in Azkaban. You're father was there over for over a month, right?"

Draco's hands curled into fists, the memories of his father's anger becoming more and more vivid. He could still feel the sensation of white hot knives boring into his skin from his father's cruciatus curse, his body contorting with the impact of the pain. It wasn't his fault the Death Eaters couldn't handle a group of Hogwarts students. It wasn't his fault his father took his anger out on him.

Ginny could see that Draco was affected by her words, although she thought it was odd that he almost looked more pained than angry. She took her chance, inching her wand out of the inner pocket of her robe and tightening her grip on the still concealed handle. Draco, for all his internal struggles, wasn't oblivious to this.

"You think you can handle me in a duel, Weasley?"

In a flash, Draco's wand was out and pointed at Ginny. Ginny was slightly put off guard by Draco's change in demeanor. She yanked her wand out of her pocket quickly, evening the playing field.

"I handled you quite well last year."

Draco coughed out a laugh.

"In case you haven't noticed Weasley, your followers aren't here to back you up this time. It's just you and me."

Draco liked his odds in this point. If there was one advantage to having a father that liked to torture him it was that his ability to protect himself. Weasley wouldn't defeat him this time.

"My followers? I think you mean friends, Malfoy. I know that's a foreign concept to you, but maybe you can wrap your close-minded, bigoted head around it."

It always blew Ginny's mind when Slytherins' insisted that Gryffindors didn't have friends. Just because she surrounded herself with people she cared about and people who cared about her in return didn't make them mindless followers. The Slytherins didn't understand doing something that didn't have immediate personal gain.

Draco was, ironically, thinking the same thing. What did they think he did all day, sit around and order people around? At least he and his friends could be honest about their intentions. Why would Draco help someone else while hurting himself? The whole concept of self-sacrifice just didn't make any sense to him.

"I'm not sure where you get your information Weasley, but unlike you I don't have to follow people around begging them to be my friend."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, ferret."

The reference to his horrible nickname caused Draco to see red.

"Come on, Weasel," Draco drawled, smirking when Ginny's face turned red at the reference to her family's own derogatory moniker.

"It's common knowledge that you spend most of your time following Potter and his two sidekicks begging to them to let you into their little club."

Ginny hated that a person as pathetic as Draco Malfoy could be strike her where it hurts. She raised her wand, preferring to battle Malfoy with magic than with words; it would hurt less in the end.

"As much as I'd like to continue this conversation, Malfoy, I have a class to get to."

Draco knew he hit a sore spot. Maybe dueling the Weasley girl would be the perfect thing to get his mind off of all the bullshit going on in his life.

"That's too bad Weasley, because I'm not finished with you."

Ginny was about to recite her famous Bat-Bogey hex when Blaise Zabini's voice burst through the haze of anger clouding her thoughts. Draco was conscious of Blaise's voice too, but he didn't move, his concentration still aimed solely at the ginger hair girl standing in front of him.

"Malfoy, while I have no problem with you dueling with Gryffindors, I would suggest that you two suspend this little show down to a more appropriate time."

Draco sighed. He turned to look at Blaise and Ginny briefly considered hexing him while he was distracted, but ultimately decided against it. She wouldn't stoop to his level. Draco wasn't sure if he was happy Blaise was butting into his business or not.

"Zabini, how nice of you to join us. I'm in the middle of something right now, but I'd be happy to talk to you in just a moment. This won't take long."

Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes. She should have hexed him when she had the chance.

"You finally got something right Malfoy. Zabini, step aside, it won't take long for me to deal with you friend."

Blaise wasn't sure what was wrong with Ginny Weasley. Since when did she grow a backbone? He turned to Draco for answers.

"Isn't this the girl that followed Potter around a couple years ago?"

Ginny was getting a little tired of the Harry jokes. Was that all anyone knew about her?

"I hate to break up your little party, but you don't have to act like I'm not here."

Blaise didn't know what to think. First the Lovegood girl laughed in his face and now Ginny Weasley was talking back to him. What was the world coming to? Well Weasley wasn't Lovegood so Blaise didn't have to pretend to be nice.

"I know I don't have to, I choose to."

Ginny wanted to walk over and smack the smirk off of Zabini's face, but then she remembered what he knew about Luna. She suddenly didn't feel so powerful. Thankfully, Blaise was more concerned about stopping Draco from performing an unforgivable curse on a Gryffindor, no matter how much said Gryffindor deserved it, than notice the change in Ginny's demeanor.

"I'd just like to point out that this little conversation isn't exactly private."

Blaise was right. A crowd had grown as the confrontation escalated and now it surrounded them. Draco finally lowered his wand. As much as he would like to put Weasley in her place, he was on thin ice as it was. The Malfoy name didn't get him as far as it used to outside of the Slytherin fold and his father probably wouldn't be too happy if his son got expelled. The last thing Draco wanted was another session in his father's study.

Sighing, Ginny lowered her wand after Malfoy did; their duel now postponed. The crowd, sensing the shift in mood began to disperse, somewhat disappointed that the whole affair hadn't escalated to violence. Ginny pushed her way through the crowd in order to get to her next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. There was no way she would make it on time now, but there was nothing she could do about it at this point.

Blaise gave Draco a pointed look, slightly pissed off that Draco had acted so reckless. Blaise could care less who Draco decided to duel with, but he couldn't go around acting psychotic in public. If Draco got in trouble it reflected poorly on the Slytherins as a whole and the house didn't need anymore bad press at the moment. The entire wizarding world was looking for any excuse to condemn them for fostering evil and Draco was just helping them prove their point. He walked into the Transfiguration classroom without another word, disgusted with the whole ordeal.

Ginny was out of breathe by the time she reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom on the other side of the castle. She stopped outside the door for a moment to collect herself before quietly entering the room. The entire class was silent, diligently copying the notes on the chalkboard. As Ginny scanned the lines, she had an intense case of déjà vu. It was a summary of the chapter on dueling posture from the book she had discovered in Knockturn Alley.

"Ms. Weasley, how kind of you to join us."

Ginny spun around, surprised. Facing her was the woman she assumed was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She was tall and thin, her long blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was wearing some sort or strange garment that was a cross between a harness and a robe, which crisscrossed her body and was held in place by a buckle around her waist. Her eyes were a striking blue, cold, penetrating, and full of mystery. The woman had a commanding presence, but how did she know Ginny's name?

"I'm sorry Professor, I didn't mean to be late. I promise it won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't Ms. Weasley, but just to be sure, you can come for detention on Friday at eight o'clock."

The class, having forgotten the notes on the board, were now staring at their new professor, wondering if she would be this strict all year. Ginny wasn't totally surprised at the punishment, but didn't like the cold smile the woman gave her while doling out it out. There was something odd about her, but Ginny couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her new professor continued,

"Since you missed the beginning of class, it seems like some introductions are in order. My name is Patricia Edgecombe and I will be you professor for the foreseeable future."

Ginny tried not to look shocked. She wondered if it could be some sort of coincidence that the woman standing in front of her could have the same name as the author of her secret dueling book. Suddenly the notes on the board made perfect sense.

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to take the position after the… interesting choice of professor you had last year."

Something about Professor Edgecombe's tone told Ginny that she and Umbridge weren't exactly best friends. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad after all. Anyone who hated Umbridge was all right with Ginny.

"I was just telling your classmates that protecting yourself isn't all about knowing the best incantations or having the sharpest wit. It is also about maintaining the correct physical standing."

None of this was new to Ginny. She could recite parts of Professor Edgecombe's book verbatim at this point, but she wondered if the more advanced lessons in her book would be taught as well. As if reading Ginny's mind, the woman continued.

"From here we will move on to both defensive and offensive skills with a focus on practical applications. No more of that theoretical drabble you were force fed last year. Does that suit you Ms. Weasley?"

Ginny nodded, both excited about the idea that the course might actually teach her something useful, but also a little wary of her mysterious new professor. She had been at Hogwarts long enough to know that the DADA teachers always had a secret. What was Patricia Edgecombe hiding?

After another long stare Professor Edgecombe allowed Ginny to take a seat and the class began note taking again. Ginny copied the lines from the board although she was already familiar with the material. After her odd introduction, Ginny wouldn't be telling Professor Edgecombe she had a copy of her book anytime soon.

At dinner that night, Ginny was exhausted. Even with the extra studying over the summer, the shear amount of homework she received would keep her busy for the entire year. She grabbed Luna and Padma from the Ravenclaw table to join the Gryffindors and was glad she did when Harry said that he wanted to start the DA meetings immediately, as in, that very night.

"Harry, don't you think it's a little early? I mean, most of us haven't even finished unpacking yet," Hermione said with Luna, Ron, and Padma nodding in agreement, but Harry would not budge.

"Now that Umbridge is gone, I want us to have more regular meetings. I was thinking two times a week, once during the week and once on the weekend."

"But Harry,"

"Hermione, we need all the practice we can get. Now I know that everyone's busy, but I don't want us to start to forget the things we learned last year. This is important"

Ginny was happy that she would have more time to practice, but the added time commitment might just kill her. Luna, usually quiet during these logistical meetings, spoke up, not wanting them to waste time arguing over the issue. She could tell that Harry and Hermione were gearing up for a fight and the last thing the DA needed was more fighting. Luna was sure there would be enough of that at the meeting between Ginny and Harry.

"So we'll meet in the Room of Requirement tonight at, let's say, nine thirty?"

Luna didn't wait for anyone to voice their opinion, knowing it would just lead to more bickering.

"Perfect, we hope to see you all there. Please pass the information around to the other members, but do try to keep it out of the hands of the Slytherins."

The entire table was impressed with Luna's handling of the situation. Seizing the opportunity, Luna grabbed Ginny and left, pulling her away to make some progress on homework before the meeting. As the rest of the table left to disperse the meeting information, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed behind.

Although they weren't ready to admit it to Ginny or anyone else, the trio had spent the summer trying to decipher the lost prophecy. There was one particular phrase that concerned them the most.

"…_and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…"_

Initially they assumed that it referred to the sacrificial protection that Lily Potter gave to Harry when she died to save him, but Hermione argued that Voldemort found out about the protection immediately, almost being killed by its effects. Thus, Hermione surmised, there must be some other power that Harry possessed that was the key to Voldemort's destruction. The only problem was, it didn't seem like Harry had any sort of hidden powers.

"I still think we should go to Dumbledore about this, Harry. His insight could help us figure this out or at least point us in the right direction,"

Harry looked at Hermione, unsure about how to communicate his feelings on the subject. He still hadn't forgiven Dumbledore completely for keeping secrets from him, for failing to tell him about the prophecy in the first place. Maybe if he'd known, he wouldn't have acted so rash and Sirius would still be alive.

"Or he could try to protect me by leading us on a wild goose chase. I want to keep this between the three of us for now."

Ron, usually one to agree with Harry's plans, wasn't quite so sure this time.

"I have to agree with Hermione on this one, mate. If we don't go to Dumbledore, how will we know where to start looking?"

Harry pulled out the list the three of them compiled over the summer. It included every type of magical ability or skill the three of them could think of and it was long, over five feet of parchment.

"We'll start here. Each one of us gets a third and we go through them one by one. Whatever it is that I need to defeat Voldemort has got to be in here somewhere."

Hermione shook her head.

"Harry, this list would take us years to go through and even then, the power's probably some sort of ancient magic that we don't know about. None of us knew what sacrificial protection was before Dumbledore told you, even Voldemort didn't know about it."

But Harry was adamant they could do this on their own. Divvying up the list, the trio made their way towards the library to get started on their research, hoping the answers to their questions would somehow appear clear to them.

Luna and Ginny finally found a quiet spot outside the castle in one of the small courtyards near the greenhouses. Luna pulled out her charms book to begin working on her essay about the importance of the Muggle-Repelling charm, but Ginny stopped her.

"You won't believe me when I tell you who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is."

Luna couldn't believe that Ginny would say something like that to her. She was the girl who tried to warn the world about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Nargles, even when no one would listen. Ginny seemed to realize this and continued, sheepishly,

"Well, all right, you probably will believe this. It's Patricia Edgecombe."

Luna's eyes opened wide, instantly recognizing the name of the author of _A Treatise on the Practical Art of Dueling: How to Win and Not to Lose_.

"And you're sure it's the same person… not an almost impossible coincidence."

"No, it's definitely her. We basically covered the chapter on posture in class today."

Luna didn't know what to think. It couldn't be an accident that the author of Ginny's book happened to show up, could it? And then there was Blaise Zabini. He seemed to know more about the book than Ginny or Luna did, could he somehow be involved in all this? Her father always told her that if something was too good to be true, it was and this whole situation was definitely too good to be true.

"So what was she like?"

Ginny thought for a moment, trying to find words that would adequately describe Professor Edgecombe.

"She was… a bit odd. I mean, she seemed to know who I was the way she reacted to things was, well, odd."

"People call me odd all the time."

"No, it's not the same. You're a bit quirky and unique, but she was, well, she was really cold. It's like she didn't have any feelings. No,"

Ginny suddenly remembered the look of amusement on the professor's face when she gave Ginny detention.

"The only time she showed emotion, it was all wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yeah, when she gave me detention for being late to class,"

"Why were you late to class,"

"I almost got into a duel with Malfoy."

"A duel! Gin, you could have been hurt!"

"Don't worry, Zabini broke it up,"

"Zabini saved you?"

Luna's ears had piqued at the mention of Blaise Zabini. First he protected her secret and now he saved Ginny from a duel, what was up with him? She didn't have time to speculate as Ginny continued, a bit on edge.

Luna's last statement made Ginny a bit upset. Malfoy was no match for her, she didn't need saving.

"Anyways, when she gave me the detention she smiled, as if she –"

"Enjoyed it?"

Ginny nodded, but there was more.

"The smile didn't seem to reach her eyes though. It was, it was, the whole thing was a bit creepy."

"Did anyone else notice?"

"That's just it. While we were talking, it was like no one else was in the room."

Luna didn't like the sound of this new DADA professor.

"You should keep your distance, Gin."

"How am I supposed to do that? I've got detention with her this Friday."

Luna paused.

"Maybe I could get detention too."

"Luna, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask. Besides, strength in numbers, remember."

That was one of the fundamental ideas in Professor Edgecombe's introduction to her book. Ginny wondered if the rules would be effective if they were used against the person who wrote them.

Although, she didn't want to accept Luna's offer, Ginny was even less eager to spend the entire evening alone with Professor Edgecombe so she didn't object again. The issue settled, the girls spent the next few hours doing homework before returning to their common rooms in time for curfew before having to sneak out again for the DA meeting.

By the time Ginny managed to make it to the Room of Requirement (the Gryffindors snuck out in shifts so as to avoid suspicion), the room was filled with students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. It seemed like word was spreading about the group and there appeared to be a dozen or so new recruits in the mix. Ginny didn't know what to think about this. They needed as many people as possible to join in the cause, but more people ultimately meant less secrecy. They would have to be careful about who knew what or the entire group could get into a lot of trouble.

She made her way over to the original members, who were having a preliminary meeting to set the night's agenda.

"And I think we should start with a bit of a review just in case anyone's forgotten anything," Hermione said, going over a piece of parchment to make sure she didn't forget anything.

"We shouldn't punish those who've kept up with their skills," Ginny interjected, not wanting to review basic shield charms again.

"Maybe we should split up old and new members. The new ones can have a quick refresher while the old ones move on to more advanced concepts."

Harry shook his head and Ginny began to think that he was going to disagree with everyone of her ideas just to be an ass.

"We can't split up the group. That would make it seem like we preferred the old members to the new ones and that's not fair."

Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but was surprised when Seamus Finnigan spoke out first.

"It'll take ages for them to catch up Harry. It took us a whole year to learn everything we know now and we can't afford to wait."

Most of the group nodded their heads and Harry gave in, realizing that having two groups was more practical.

"Fine, we'll break up into two groups and rotate who teaches what so everyone has a chance to experience both sides. Now Hermione, Ron, and I have come up with a list of spells we think will be useful to learn over the next few meetings,"

Hermione passed out copies of the list to all the members. Reading over it, Luna could already tell that Ginny wouldn't be happy with it. They were mostly defensive spells, nothing close to the types of magic Ginny had suggested. She was right. Ginny spoke up instantly.

"There isn't anything on this list that couldn't be learned from a basic Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook! Where's the stinging hexes, the blasting curses, the advanced dueling strategies that I talked to you about!"

Ginny was now looking directly at Harry. She didn't even know why she bothered trying with him. He could never admit that she had a good idea.

"I know we talked about it Gin, but we could get into serious trouble for teaching people those spells."

"And they could be seriously injured if we don't. The purpose of Dumbledore's Army is to teach students to protect themselves. That means defense and offense," Ginny replied, emphasizing the offensive bit.

"Why don't we focus on what we have for now and then move on to offensive strategy later on."

Ginny looked at Harry. He gave her a small smile, as if that would somehow make her more likely to agree with him. Suddenly, Ginny felt very tired.

"Fine Harry, we'll talk about this later, _at your convenience_."

Harry didn't know how to win with Ginny. Couldn't she see that what she wanted to learn was dangerous? He was trying to protect her, trying to protect everyone, and at times like this he felt like he wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"It's not like that Gin, and you know it. We just need to be careful, that's all. I just want to keep us all safe."

Ginny let go of her anger towards Harry, feeling a little sorry for him and not wanting to get into a full blown argument in front of everyone. As much as she hated how he still treated her like a little girl, it was times like this when she understood just how much pressure Harry was under. Being The Boy Who Lived was a lot of work. Ginny nodded begrudgingly, retreating to re-strategize. She'd be damned if she didn't get Harry to teach the types of spells she thought they needed to know. In the mean time, she and Luna could still practice on their own.

The rest of the meeting went as planned. By splitting up the students, it was actually easier to hear and everyone agreed that the split had been a good idea. The two groups made a lot of progress and by the end Luna was sweating from both the physical and mental exertion.

Declining Padma's invitation to walk back to the Ravenclaw common room with her, Luna instead turned towards the Astronomy Tower, hoping to cool off in the crisp night air. Thankfully, no couples had decided to use the tower that night for a snogging session. Luna always thought the Astronomy Tower was an odd choice for a romantic tryst. It was windy and there was nowhere comfortable to sit. If she were to sneak off with a boy, she would much prefer to sneak into one of the carriages used to transport students from the Hogwarts Express to the caste, much more cozy.

"Well, well, well, Lovegood, it looks like you're turning into quite the rebel."

Luna jumped; turning towards the direction the voice came from. Blaise Zabini emerged from the shadows, his hands tucked into his pockets.

Blaise was as much of a night owl as he was a morning person. Sleep didn't really appeal to him; he could sleep when he was dead. In fact, some of Blaise's best ideas came during the late night/ early morning hours. He had been on his way to the Quiddich pitch when he spotted the Lovegood girl scurrying down the hallway. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Blaise followed the girl.

He was surprised when she led them to the Astronomy Tower and for a second Blaise wondered if she was meeting someone there. He stayed hidden, prepared to make a swift exit if she wasn't alone. Blaise wasn't into voyeurism. However, when he realized the tower was deserted he decided to make his presence known. The image of her face while she stood up to him was still on his mind and he wondered if she was up for round two.

Luna looked at Blaise, now dressed informally in a pair of grey slacks and a black sweater. Realizing they were alone and he was effectively blocking the sole exit, she gripped her wand tightly, wishing she hadn't spent so much of her energy practicing earlier.

"What are you doing here?"

Blaise started to move closer and Luna backed up instinctively, maintaining the distance between them. This amused Blaise.

"I could ask you the same thing. Out after curfew, hiding in the astronomy tower, one would begin to suspect you were doing something a bit… sinister."

Luna was running out of room. She stood still, but Blaise continued to advance. She was trapped.

"I- I don't know what you mean. All I wanted was a little bit of fresh air."

Blaise took in Luna's appearance. He briefly examined her clothing, sweatpants and a gray T-shirt with trainers, basically workout clothes. She was slightly out of breath and her cheeks were red, as if she had been exerting herself. The wand clutched in her hand hadn't avoided his notice either. And the way she jumped, she was definitely hiding something.

"Really, Lovegood. Stop insulting my intelligence. You were obviously doing something."

Blaise wondered if it had anything to do with the book Luna had so desperately wanted him to keep quiet about. He smirked.

"Could it have something to do with your little dueling book? Is precious Potter organizing some sort of dueling club?"

Luna couldn't breath. She knew Zabini was just joking, but it was disconcerting how easily he could guess what she was involved in, even if he didn't take it seriously.

"No," Blaise continued his thought, stopping to look out over the grounds of Hogwarts.

"I can't see Potter wanting to sully his lily white reputation with the kinds of curses in that book."

Again, Luna thought, Zabini was exactly right. Were she and her friends so easy to read?

"So I guess that leaves little Ms. Lovegood working all alone."

Luna so wanted to brave, but the truth to Zabini's accusations coupled with her exhaustion was getting the better of her. She didn't want to play any games.

"I don't even have the book anymore. I gave it back to Ginny."

Lovegood's honest statement took Blaise back a little. Didn't she know that she was giving him even more information he could use against her? Thinking back to the fight between Draco and the littlest Weasley he had to break up this morning, Blaise let out another laugh. Maybe he should have let the duel happen. Seeing Draco get his ass kicked by a Gryffindor would have been funny.

Luna, not in on the joke, thought Zabini was laughing at her.

"It's not funny. Because of you, we have to keep the book locked up just in case one of your Slytherin friends decides to come looking for it."

Luna took a few steps forward, forgetting her earlier fears and exhaustion.

Blaise stopped laughing, suddenly quite serious. He had already assured her that he wouldn't tell anyone and now she was questioning his integrity.

"Don't pin this on me. It's not my fault you had it laying out in the open. Anyone could have seen it. In fact, you were lucky it was me."

Luna couldn't believe her ears. After all of the veiled threats he made, this was her fault?

"If it wasn't for your slimy Slytherin attitude maybe I could trust you to keep a secret and I wouldn't have had to take preventative measures."

Blaise didn't even know respond. Slimy Slytherin attitude? Blaise was anything but slimy.

"Heaven forbid you keep an illegal Dark Arts book hidden, Lovegood. I mean, honestly, haven't your parents taught you anything?"

Luna hated it when people who didn't know her brought up her parents because it made her think of her mother She could remember the day of her death perfectly. At that time Luna had been excited to be involved with her mother's experiments, even begging to participate herself, but in an instant everything changed. The spell's explosion had thrown Luna back, but she still had time to see her mother's eyes go dark, the life leaving her body.

Her mother would probably have encouraged Luna to read the book. In Astrid Lovegood's opinion, knowledge wasn't inherently good or bad. It was what people did with the knowledge that could be problematic. Suddenly, Luna wished she had read more of the book before she gave it to Ginny. Now she would never know what was in it, unless…

"I guess they didn't Zabini. Maybe you can."

Luna looked earnestly at Blaise, hoping he would be open to her crazy idea. Blaise wasn't sure how to respond. Had he heard Lovegood clearly? Was she asking for help? Blaise looked at Luna, checking for signs of deception, but no warning signals were going off in his mind and Blaise was accustomed to following his instincts. Still, he proceeded cautiously.

"What in the world could I teach you Lovegood?"

Luna smiled. From her brief interactions with him, it seemed like Zabini had a bit of an ego. If she was right, maybe her plan would actually work.

"Well, you said the book was one of your favorites, right?"

Blaise nodded slowly.

"I didn't get an opportunity to read most of it and now that Ginny has it I might never get the chance. Since you're the expert, why don't you teach me?"

Blaise was kind of shocked and that didn't happen too often. Sure he had wanted to spend time with her, but he never thought she would be bold enough to want to meet with him in private on a regular basis. She had to be out of her mind.

"Lovegood, I'm way too busy to spend my time tutoring you."

Luna sighed, disappointed. For a second, she actually thought he would agree. For some reason, the need to find out what was in that book kept growing stronger, her mother's memory manipulating her voice, making it more emotional than before.

"Please?"

Blaise couldn't believe how affected he was by Lovegood's pleas. That word was going to kill him, he could already tell. Blaise responded, not pausing to question his motivations for wanting to spend more time with her.

"Fine, but you really need to stop acting like a five year old Lovegood. Friday night, ten o'clock, greenhouse five. Be on time or the deal's off. Oh, and dress comfortably, I'm not into the theoretical bullshit Umbridge was so fond of."

"But—"

He didn't even wait for a response. Blaise turned and quickly made his way back down the staircase. What the hell had he just agreed to? When he made plans to see Lovegood again it was to fight with her, not train her in dark magic.

His flying forgotten, Blaise snuck back into the Slytherin common room and made his way to bed. Lying there he thought about the mess he had gotten himself into. Not only would he be teaching Dark Magic, he would be teaching it to one of the members of Dumbledore's Army. Blaise wanted to hit himself. Why was he acting so stupid?

He had to put a stop to this immediately. Maybe he wouldn't show up. Then Lovegood would get the picture, right? The image of Luna standing in the dark greenhouse alone made Blaise forget that plan immediately. Knowing her, she would wait there all night for him. Fine, he would show up on Friday. Maybe he could scare her off, make the lessons so hard she wouldn't want to continue. Yes, that could work. Then Blaise could forget the whole thing and go back to ignoring her like he did before. Blaise was finally able to relax a little, happy that he had a plan to scare Lovegood off.

The next morning, during breakfast, the owl post arrived for the first time that term. Most of Hogwarts looked towards the large flock, hoping to spot a familiar bird carrying letters or care packages. Draco and Blaise were eating breakfast at their normal table and were not surprised to be receiving letters from home.

Blaise quickly scanned his letter, already knowing what would be in it. His mother was so predictable. She and her new husband were leaving for a vacation in the Swiss Alps the next day and Blaise wasn't invited. Blaise knew this would probably be where his new stepfather would "mysteriously disappear," probably pushed off some mountain and left there to die. His mother would play the part of the grieving widow, quietly pocketing her late husband's fortune and starting the search for her next victim. Basically, it was just another day in the Zabini household.

Draco's letter was more interesting. Usually, his mother wrote him, detailing her most recent society escapades while adding a short note on the end about how much his father missed him. This letter, however, was different. Instead of his mother's light, lacy white stationary it was written on heavy beige parchment and closed with the Malfoy family seal. It was obviously from his father, which is what made Draco so nervous. He gingerly broke the seal and slowly read his father's message, processing each word carefully.

_Son,_

_Your mother tells me that you are well. I hope that you are working diligently, as any unsatisfactory grades will be met with my dissatisfaction. This Thursday night, your mother and I will be hosting an honored guest at the Malfoy Manor and your presence will be required. I expect you will keep this information quiet, as this will be an extremely private event. However, your mother has been complaining that she has not had the pleasure of seeing Blaise Zabini in quite some time, so I insist that you bring him along as well. It would do him good to meet with our esteemed guest that night._

_Father_

This was not good. Esteemed guests usually meant Death Eaters, but mentioning one guest in particular meant that the Dark Lord himself would be in attendance. And bringing Blaise? Draco knew his friend wasn't exactly enthusiastic about joining the ranks of the Death Eaters. Asking him to come was especially bad news. All the mind games were starting to wear Draco out. He had to talk to Blaise about this immediately.

After breakfast, Draco pulled Blaise away from their group and steered them towards the dungeons. Blaise, wondering why Draco was acting so strange, was asking him all sorts of questions, but Draco had to make sure no one would overhear them before he could tell Blaise about the letter. Finally finding an unused classroom on the second floor, Draco used the Imperturbable Charm to prevent eavesdropping.

Blaise watched his normally put together friend run his hands through his hair and begin to pace. Something had to be seriously wrong to make Draco act so erratically.

After a minute or so, Draco, somewhat calmer, stopped pacing and pulled out the letter, holding it out to Blaise.

"There's going to be a Death Eater meeting at the Manor on Thursday and my father wants me to come."

Blaise knew Draco was having reservations about becoming involved the Death Eaters, but he had attended that meeting over the summer without incident. There had to be something else bothering him.

"The Dark Lord will be there and he wants you there too."

Blaise stared at Draco, a cold fear washing over him. This was bad. He couldn't go to a Death Eater meeting, couldn't become one of them. He couldn't bow down in front of the Dark Lord and pledge his allegiance to him, couldn't have the Dark Mark seared into his flesh, his life reduced to a mixture of fear and pain.

Blaise grabbed the letter from Draco's hands and read it quickly. The amount of veiled threats contained in it was disturbing. Lucius Malfoy was not stupid. He knew Draco would show the letter to Blaise. Therefore, the threats were for Blaise too. Either come to the meeting or face the consequences, there were only two options and Blaise knew that, in reality, there was only one.

Sure he could ignore the letter, skip the meeting, and endure the painful torture that would surly follow, but there would always be another meeting and another letter. Blaise wouldn't be able to hold out forever. Either option led to the same conclusion.

"I guess we're going then."

Draco hated his father even more at that moment. His father was too much of a coward to tell Blaise about the meeting, so he had Draco do it. Draco hung his head, unable to watch as his best friend continued to pour over the letter.

"Why do you think he chose me?"

Draco had thought the same thing. Blaise was not exactly a first choice recruit. His family had never been involved with the Dark Lord, even during the First Wizarding War, his mother too concerned with marrying rich men and her husbands too busy being seduced by a black widow. This meant Blaise was being recruited for a specific purpose.

"I suppose the Dark Lord has a plan for you," Draco replied, still unable to look at Blaise. Being a part of the Dark Lord's plans usually didn't end well. If you were lucky, it meant life in Azkaban, if you weren't, death.

Blaise nodded absent-mindedly, thinking of his mother's letter. With this new information, it was obvious that she was in on the whole plan. It was definitely not a coincidence that she was leaving on a last minute vacation a few days before Blaise was to be fed to the wolves. The bitch had sold him out.

"You too."

Draco looked up at Blaise, a confused look on his face. Blaise repeated himself.

"The Dark Lord probably has a plan for you too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Desperate Times**

**Summary:** A new year brings new dangers and new decisions for everyone. Can people really change, or is it all just an act? Old alliances will be tested and new alliances will be formed as the battle between Light and Dark draws near. Can Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood melt the ice around the hearts of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini or will they learn that a Slytherin is never to be trusted? Rated M for later chapters. A Draco/ Ginny and Blaise/ Luna fic.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews and the reads! Sorry this chapter is a shorter than the others, but final exams are coming up and my life has become pretty busy all of a sudden. Next week's post might be a bit shorter than usual too, but after that I promise everything will be back to normal. I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns all things _Harry Potter_.

**Chapter 5: A Slippery Slope**

Sitting in Potions on Thursday afternoon, Draco was about to die of laughter. There was a thick cloud of smoke billowing from Longbottom's cauldron and Snape was on a rampage.

"Longbottom, I know that you are magically inept, but to be incapable of following simple directions is utterly ridiculous."

Neville sat on his stool, his eyes turned towards the floor as Snape continued to berate him.

"I clearly stated that the potion was to be stirred counter clockwise. Which way did you stir your potion Mr. Longbottom?"

Neville looked up, not sure if Snape was asking him a real or rhetorical question. It was the former.

"Clockwise sir."

Snape nodded, as if his suspicions on the boy's stupidity were confirmed.

"How you passed your O.W.L.S. is a mystery to me Longbottom, although I am sure you had lots of help in that area."

Snape turned his gaze to Granger, who glared back at him.

"I want a two foot parchment on my desk by next class explaining the importance of following directions when creating potions."

The Gryffindor side of the room looked indignant while the Slytherin side could no longer contain their amusement. Longbottom looked shocked.

"But, Professor, I don't have time to—"

"If you're too busy for this class maybe you should consider dropping it. Either the essay is on my desk when I walk into the room or you shouldn't bother coming. You may leave, everyone else, finish up."

Snape returned to his desk while a group of Gryffindors went over to console their classmate. Draco, already finished, turned to Blaise who was transferring his potion into a glass vial. Unlike Draco, he had a scowl on his face.

"Don't you think we have more important things to think about right now than how much Longbottom sucks at potions," he hissed, low enough so that only Draco could hear.

Draco really wanted to strangle Blaise. He wasn't looking forward to the meeting this evening either, but Blaise really needed to pull himself together.

"In case you haven't noticed, we've been laughing at Longbottom since first year. Don't you think it would look a bit strange if we suddenly acted like he didn't exist?"

It took all of Blaise's self control not to roll his eyes at Draco. They were about to come face to face with He Who Must Not Be Named himself and Draco was still concerned about keeping face. Blaise was never one to let his appearance slip, but he had other priorities at the moment. Besides, even Blaise wasn't arrogant enough to believe that everyone in the class was watching his every move all the time.

"I think it would be even more strange if we don't show up for class tomorrow because we're both in St. Mungo's, turned into vegetables like Longbottom's parents."

Draco felt an involuntary shiver go down his spine. Having felt the agony of the Cruciatus Curse, he could understand how a person's mind might break from all the torture.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it."

Draco turned his potion in, not bothering to wait for Blaise to finish, tired of the whole conversation. All he wanted to do was relax for a few hours before he had to come back down to reality.

Blaise knew Draco was right and that's what made him angry. Being prepared was like a Slytherin mantra and yet he was about to walk into a situation where he would probably be the least prepared person in the room. Blaise sighed; even he was tired of his bad attitude. He quickly bottled his potion and turned it in, catching up with Draco in the hallway.

The two boys exited the castle, heading towards the Quiddich pitch. If there was one thing that would keep their minds off of everything, it was flying. Unfortunately, the Quiddich pitch wasn't empty when they arrived. Draco shook his head.

"It's official, Zabini. The world hates us."

Blaise had to agree. They had just walked into the middle of a Gryffindor Quiddich practice and from the looks on some of the Gryffindor's faces they weren't exactly welcome.

Ginny scored another goal, her fifth of the night and circled the goal posts in celebration before spotting the two Slytherin boys on the other side of the pitch. Ron was already on the ground and walking quickly in their direction with Harry and Seamus following closely behind. Ginny descended quickly, knowing that a confrontation between the two groups could get out of hand quickly. Hell, she had almost dueled with Malfoy in the hallway a few days ago.

By the time she reached the group, Ron was already in Malfoy's face.

"I don't care what you say, ferret. I know you and Zabini were trying to spy on us."

Blaise had to laugh at the ridiculous statement. Ron, already upset, turned his focus to him.

"And what do you think is so funny, Zabini?"

"Your pathetic attempts to cause trouble Weasley. If we wanted to spy don't you think we would have made an effort to, I don't know, hide?"

If the Slytherins weren't standing there, Ginny would have told her brother the same thing. Sometimes Ron could be a little dense. Ron wasn't having any of it though.

"I don't know Zabini, your lot proved to be pretty stupid last year in the Department of Mysteries."

Blaise instantly had to hold Draco back from launching himself at the Weasley boy. In his anger, Draco hadn't even attempted to pull out his wand. He was prepared to fight Weasley the old fashioned way. Restrained, Draco had to resort to words.

"What is it with you Weasleys? Always trying to stay relevant by picking fights. At least your sister has some finesse."

Ginny made her way through the Gryffindors, trying to reach her brother before he did something stupid. Mentioning her always set him off and she wasn't sure if Harry would try to stop him if Ron threw the first punch. In fact, Harry would probably join him.

"My sister has nothing to do with this. Besides, she's too much for you to handle."

Draco was in his element. If there was one thing that he enjoyed more than flying it was verbal sparring and Weasley was an all too easy opponent. He wore his emotions on his sleeve.

"Funny then that Zabini had to save her from getting her ass kicked by me in a duel the other day."

Ginny finally made it over to where the boys were standing. At one time she would have been pissed off by Malfoy's comment, but now she understood exactly what he was trying to do, get under their skin. Surprisingly, it was Harry who reacted, not Ron, and he didn't direct his frustration at Malfoy, but at Ginny.

"What is he talking about Gin?"

Draco couldn't believe it. The Weasley girl hadn't run off to report back to Potter… interesting. Could there be some problems developing in the Gryffindor paradise? That would be even more fun.

"It was nothing, Harry. Malfoy here was trying to start something. I handled him just fine."

Blaise, not one to avoid confrontation either, begged to differ.

"Actually Weasley, in case you don't remember the two of you were about to start a bloody war in the middle of the hallway. I'm the one that handled it."

Harry was a bit shocked that he hadn't heard about this earlier. Ginny was taking way too many risks lately.

"Gin, you could have gotten into serious trouble."

Ginny shook her head. She had to admit it; the Slytherins were good. It had been so easy for them to get her friends to start fighting amongst themselves.

"Harry, drop it. We can talk about it later. Let's get back to the issue at hand."

Ginny turned to Malfoy and Zabini, sizing them up.

"The fact of the matter is you're not welcome here. You need to leave."

Draco liked this new Ginny Weasley. Now that she was no longer hiding in Potter's shadow, she had actually grown a backbone. He wondered how far he could push her. Stepping forward, he causally put his hands in his pocket, staring straight into her eyes.

"And if we don't?"

Ginny was tired of the Slytherin boys having the upper hand. She wasn't the same little girl who had naively written in Tom Riddle's diary. Now, she was willing to stand up for herself.

"Then I will make you leave, Malfoy."

Draco smiled, not smirked, smiled. Even if he didn't like her, he had to respect her. Few people were willing to stand up to him like that. Ginny was, well, confused. She had been prepared for Malfoy to make some biting remark, even reach for his wand, not smile. There had to be something going on with him

"No need to pull out you wand, Weasley. If it matters so much to you, we'll leave."

Even Blaise was taken back at Draco's reaction. Sure, he was pleasantly surprised that the Weasley girl seemed to have more self-control than her friends, but Draco didn't like to lose. Now he was giving into her over an empty threat. Even if they were outnumbered, Blaise was confident that he and Draco could handle the Gryffindor Quiddich team in a duel no problem.

Draco turned to leave and Blaise had no other option, but to follow. Ginny watched the pair retreat, even more confused than before. One thing was for sure, Malfoy was not acting normal.

Their confrontation with the Slytherins had taken up the rest of their time on the pitch so Harry and Ron called it a day. The group began making their way towards the locker rooms, Ginny trailing behind as she thought over her two most recent run ins with Malfoy.

Looking back, she had to admit that she was the one who escalated their encounter in the hallway to a near duel. In fact, Malfoy had seemed more self-absorbed than interested in a confrontation before she had brought up his father. And then, today, the whole conversation had felt wrong.

Ginny suddenly realized that the boys never had explained why they were there in the first place. They had distracted the team by insulting them and it had worked. Now Ginny was a little intrigued. Were Malfoy and Zabini hiding something?

"Hey Gin."

Ginny jumped a bit. Harry appeared by her side, the two of them alone as the rest of the team went on ahead.

"You alright?"

Ginny nodded,

"Just thinking about all the stuff I have to do tonight."

Harry smiled.

"Yeah, I remember all the work last year. It gets better, I promise."

Ginny smiled back, knowing that Harry had to have an ulterior motive for staying back to talk to her.

"So, what is it Harry."

Harry looked confused, but Ginny wasn't buying it.

"C'mon. You wouldn't wait up for me if there wasn't a reason."

"Why can't I want to talk to you? That's what friends do, right."

Ginny stopped walking and looked at Harry, waiting for him to tell the truth. Harry sighed.

"Fine, I just want you to know that you can come talk to me about anything, okay. I know we haven't seen eye to eye on a few things lately— alright on a lot of things, but I'll always be there for you."

Thankful that Harry wasn't going to lecture her about almost dueling Malfoy and hoping that she and Harry could begin to see eye to eye about some things in the future, Ginny pulled Harry into a quick hug before beginning to walk again.

At dinner, Ginny chose to sit with Luna and Padma at the Ravenclaw table. Ron was still upset about what happened out on the Quiddich pitch and Ginny didn't want to listen to a play by play of the event while she ate.

Glancing towards the Slytherin table, she didn't see Malfoy or Zabini sitting with their usual group. Taking a closer look, she didn't see them at dinner at all. There was definitely something going on with them. As she scanned the Slytherins, she locked eyes with Theodore Nott, who had noticed her interest in his house's table. Ginny instinctively lowered her gaze. She didn't dare look at the table again. The last thing she needed if she was going to find out what Malfoy was hiding was the Slytherins getting suspicious of her.

In the dungeons, Blaise and Draco stood before the large fireplace in the Slytherin common room. Everyone was at dinner so the boys were alone, each holding a handful of floo powder tightly. Although the events on the Quiddich pitch had proved to be a useful distraction for the two of them, it was time to face reality.

Going first, Draco threw his floo powder into the fire, calling out the name of his family home before stepping into the flames. Instantly he was in the foyer of the Malfoy Manor. Blaise appeared a few moments after him, just as his father entered the hallway.

Both boys stayed silent as Lucius Malfoy approached, wearing the traditional Death Eater robes and holding his mask in his hand.

"At least I can trust you to be on time. Come, there's someone who wishes to meet you."

Lucius placed his mask over his face, concealing his identity, but for the pieces of platinum blond hair that escaped the hood of his cloak. He led the boys down the hallway, towards the ballroom.

Blaise felt extremely exposed. The Death Eaters wore masks so that they could deny accountability if caught, but he and Draco would be afforded no such luxury. Blaise focused on his breathing, trying to stay calm. He just had to make it through this meeting alive.

The doors to the ballroom magically opened before them, revealing dozens of masked Death Eaters. Blaise was actually impressed, the Daily Prophet had speculated that there were only thirty or so loyal Death Eaters left, but he could count at least twice as many in the room now, not that he would be wanting to join their ranks anytime soon.

The Death Eaters parted as Lucius moved through the room, Blaise and Draco closely behind. At the sight of Blaise, whispers broke out amongst the group. A Zabini had never been associated with the Dark Lord before. Now Blaise understood why the Dark Lord had chosen him to come to the meeting and be involved with whatever plan he had in mind for Draco. It was about power, about control. Preventing him from wearing a mask was just the Dark Lord's way of proving his dominance.

"Silence."

Draco's eyes widened slightly at the sound of the raspy voice. All conversation halted immediately and an eerie silence took its place. There was only one person who could command such power over the room: He Who Must Not Be Named himself.

Draco's suspicions were confirmed as his father broke through the group of Death Eaters, revealing the Dark Lord himself, seated at a chair on the far side of the room. Lucius approached, bowing lowly, offering his service to the man sitting before him.

Actually, man was a bit of a misnomer. Draco was somewhat disgusted by the Dark Lord's appearance, but he had enough sense to bow with Blaise. His skin was a sickly yellow and clung tightly to his bones, as if he was emaciated. His eyes, a dark red, were deep set in his skull, accentuating his thin lips and mutilated nose. His hands gripped the chair he was sitting in tightly, as if to steady himself. The Dark Lord looked deceptively weak, but Draco had heard enough stories not to underestimate his power.

"You may rise."

Blaise and Draco rose, their eyes facing towards the floor. Hands pushed them forward, closer to the Dark Lord, the entire group of Death Eaters closing in on them.

Suddenly, Blaise was having flashbacks. He could see his father playing with him in the sand at their villa on the Amalfi coast, the day his father died, supposedly by falling from the fourth story balcony of their flat in Paris, the parade of men his mother brought home, each one more horrid than the last, her deadly smile luring them to their death, Blaise pushed to the side, banished to some foreign country while his mother murdered yet again.

"Doesn't that make you angry?" the raspy voice asked.

Blaise wasn't sure if the question was in his mind or not. He knew that the Dark Lord was trying to manipulate his feelings, but the images of his childhood continued to haunt him.

"Yes."

"Look at me."

Blaise tried to resist the order, but it was as if his brain and his muscles had become disconnected. He had no control over his body, his eyes rising to meet the Dark Lord's cold gaze.

The room was silent. The Death Eaters knew that a silent power struggle was going on and none of them wanted to face the Dark Lord's wrath by interrupting it. Draco started to turn his head to look at his friend, but stopped, knowing his turn would probably come soon enough.

The Dark Lord rose, his previous weakened demeanor gone.

"Why don't you do anything about it?"

Blaise gritted his teeth. He knew what the Dark Lord was doing and he was powerless to stop it.

"I can't"

The Dark Lord smiled, a cruel, cold smile.

"What was that? Speak up boy."

"I can't" Blaise said again, louder this time.

"It's because you're weak," the Dark Lord spat out, as if he was disgusted with the word.

"But I can give you power. You will never have to watch your mother disgrace your family again. The Zabinis can retake their place as one of the great Wizarding families."

Blaise saw the Daily Prophet articles about his stepfather's deaths run before his eyes. It was true, lately his family image had been tarnished by is mother's increasing need for killing rich men. It was as if the Zabinis had become a running joke, an example of how out of touch the purebloods were from the rest of the world. He hated his mother, but that didn't mean he was willing to sell himself to the Dark Lord.

"What do you want?"

"In good time," the Dark Lord replied, glancing briefly Draco.

He knew that the Malfoy boy would be much more easy to manipulate. All he wanted in life was his father's approval. There was no need to go through the elaborate mind games he was using with Blaise Zabini; Draco Malfoy would do whatever was asked of him if it meant pleasing his father.

Without another word, the Dark Lord left the ballroom through the side door leading to Lucius' study. Blaise and Draco were made to follow by Lucius and Bellatrix Lestrange, who shut the door firmly behind them. The two were only mildly surprised to see Professor Snape standing by the fireplace. It wasn't exactly a secret amongst the Slytherins that their head of house was involved with the Death Eaters.

"As you know, our way of life is under attack. Every day our bloodlines become more polluted and if we do not act quickly it might be too late. Fortunately, my power grows stronger by the second and Harry Potter has been weakened by the death of his godfather, Sirius Black."

Bellatrix Lestrange let out a laugh, a high pitched cackle that reverberated throughout the room. She still talked about the night at the Ministry and her happiness at seeing her cousin disappear behind the veil.

"The time to strike is quickly approaching, and when we do, we will strike at the source. No, not the Ministry, it is half in our pockets already. We will attack Hogwarts, the stronghold of Albus Dumbledore himself."

Everyone was silent. Blaise thought back to History of Magic when they had learned about the history of Hogwarts. With all of the wards, charms, and dislocator spells on the castle Blaise seriously doubted even He Who Must Not Be Named could break in. If he could have, he would have done so by now. The Dark Lord was not deterred.

"How will we do this, some of you may ask. I admit, I was at a loss for what to do until I heard some very interesting news. Severus."

The potions master stepped forward, his face blank, betraying nothing.

"As you know, there has yet again been another person installed as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. Her name is Patricia Edgecombe."

Blaise did all he could not to look shocked. He wondered if Lovegood or Weasley knew that the author of their secret Dark Arts book would be teaching them this year. Severus continued,

"She is rumored to have in her possession a quite interesting artifact, created by Rowena Ravenclaw herself. A sort of master key to the castle, one which will allow the bearer to enter Hogwarts unannounced."

The Dark Lord turned his attention back to the two boys.

"That is your task. Find and recover the key. Only then will you each receive that which you most seek."

Blaise didn't know what to think. In the grand scheme of things, stealing a key was much better than being asked to murder Dumbledore himself. He knew that the anger he had towards his mother was a weakness and that the Dark Lord had exploited it fully, but Blaise still couldn't get the offer out of his mind. Draco stayed silent. He knew that they weren't being told the entire story. If the key were that easy to get to, Snape would already have taken it.

"Ah, I sense some uneasiness."

Draco added Occlumency to his list of skills to learn, and fast. This time, however, it was Professor Snape who was reading minds.

"You are right, Mr. Malfoy, that this task will not be as simple as it sounds. Patricia Edgecombe is not a witch to be trifled with. She comes from a long line of witches and wizards accomplished in the Dark Arts. It is my belief that she will feel less threatened by you than by me. However, you must remember, at all times, that she is not your friend, no matter how much she appears to be so."

After such a warning, it seemed like there was nothing else to say. Blaise and Draco would be participating in this plan whether they liked it or not.

"Until next time."

A soft popping noise signaled the Dark Lord's exit. As soon as he was gone, Lucius pulled down a pot of floo powder from the mantle and handed some to both Blaise and Draco.

"Understand that this task is of the upmost importance to the Dark Lord and failing will have severe consequences. There will be another meeting in a month's time. It would be wise to come prepared."

With a final threat, Lucius allowed the boys to apparate back to the Slytherin common room. The other students had long gone to bed, leaving Blaise and Draco alone in the vast space. Neither boy said anything for a moment. Both thought over their new task, unsure whether they should be happy to have survived an encounter with the most dangerous wizard alive or not.

"I guess it could have been worse," Draco said, climbing the stairs to the sixth year boy's dormitory.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Blaise was somewhat torn. On the one hand, he had absolutely no choice in the matter. If he wanted to live, he would have to steal the key. It was the other part, the part about power that concerned him the most. Common sense told him that He Who Must Not Be Named couldn't be trusted, that even if Blaise did what he asked, it would never be enough. But the thought of his mother made Blaise wonder how far he was willing to go to be free from her influence. Would he torture someone for it? Kill someone? It disturbed him that he didn't know the answer.


	6. Author's Note

**Desperate Times**

**Author's Note:** First of all, I would like to say that I'm sorry that I have fallen off the map for the past month or so. Something really unexpected came up and I didn't know how to handle it so I kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a bit. That being said, this story will continue and I will be back to my normal posting schedule of Friday afternoons/evenings starting next Friday. Thanks to everyone who has favorite/ put on notifications for this story. You can look forward to the start of some romance between Blaise and Luna in the next chapter!


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